#PONDPHUWIN FIRST KISS IN THE SERIES

[madeinjapan-thailand-blbambeyond]

MADE IN THAILAND

Series: WE ARE

NARAVIT LERTRATKOSUM

[Nickname: POND]

PHUWIN TANGSAKYUEN

[gunsatthaphan]

never let me go ep5 // we are ep5

[makesomehistory]

You've got a tall nose, lovely eyes, and a handsome face.

[alwayspining]

Just placing this here for future reference..

Never let me go (2022) l ep 5 l dir. Tichakorn Phukhaotong

[bl-bam-beyond]

WE ARE: THE SERIES (2024, THAILAND)

Episode 5

The kiss..initiated by Pheem (PHUWIN TANGSAKYUEN) but enjoyed by Phum (NARAVIT LERTRATKOSUM aka POND)

[athousandbyeol]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: เพื่อนายแค่หนึ่งเดียว | Never Let Me Go (TV 2022) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Nueng Nuengdiao Kiattrakulmethee/Palm Pannakorn Jannaloy Characters: Nueng Nuengdiao Kiattrakulmethee, Palm Pannakorn Jannaloy, Ben (Never Let Me Go TV 2022) Additional Tags: Introspection, Character Study, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, First Kiss, Heartbreak, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, redefining 'friends', Bodyguard, Master/Servant, Tenderness, Non-Sexual Intimacy Series: Part 1 of for palmnueng Summary:

nueng doesn't know where palm stands in his life. the line between friend and bodyguard blurs when he feels more than just nothing to him.

[ohnomalora]

Forgive me for being sappy but I can't stop thinking about this Edwin Morgan poem in relation to this moment:

When you go,

if you go,

And I should want to die,

there's nothing I'd be saved by

more than the time

you fell asleep in my arms

in a trust so gentle

I let the darkening room

drink up the evening, till

rest, or the new rain

lightly roused you awake.

I asked if you heard the rain in your dream

and half dreaming still you only said, I love you.

Why are you sleeping here?

WE ARE คือเรารักกัน (2024) — EP. 11

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Taiwan has one show, but that's all they need

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

April 2024 Wk 1

Ongoing Series - Thai

Two Worlds (Thurs IQIYI) ep 4 of 10 - I don’t say this often but I LOVE this love triangle. The longing gazes = chef's kiss. I like that we are finally getting flashbacks to Tai’s side of the love affaire. This show remains highly engaging. So pleased for MaxNat.  

Deep Night (Thurs iQiyi) ep 5 of 8 - More lesbians! Yay! Meanwhile, when our leads make up they make out! (Yes I’m proud of myself.) I think this might be BLs first rooftop sex scene. We’ve reached new heights, BLabies. (Yes I’m proud of that too.) Anygay, basically a soap opera at this point, I'm not thrilled but I don’t mind.

"Do you apologize for being straight?"

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 10 of 12 - It was lovely. Very well done celebrity leaving the closet ep. Nice ensemble work too. Next week is doom! As expected. 

Only Boo! (Sun YouTube) ep 1 of 12 - New main couple for GMMTV in an idol romance about a boy who dances good and a food stand vendor. It’s fine but overly very pulp feeling for something from GMMTV. I'm a little concerned.

1000 Years Old (Thurs iQIYI) ep 8 of 12 - meh.

To Be Continued (Sat C3 Thailand grey) ep 7 of 8 - Never turned up on my usual sites. So will have to wait until next week. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues YouTube & Viki) ep 7 of 11 - Qian was, indeed, the one who couldn’t let go. This show is fucking fantastic. It's the best thing I'm watching right now by a mile.

Jazz for Two (Korea Gaga/grey) eps 3-8fin - The bully and the blue-haired drummer side pairing were great. I hated the father. Hated him so much. Our main tsundere seme was a bit too tsundere for me. I was v annoyed by the time he finally softened. I'm amused by all the ways they finagled boys kissin-but-not-kissing in the first half of this show. 2024's "pan around the back of the head" has now become a "dipping of the brolly." We did, however, eventually get an okay kiss.

Honestly?

This was basically what I wanted from Given and didn’t get. So I’m pleased. The music still wasn't great, but you can skip those bits. A solid enemies to lovers BL, where the sins of brothers' past haunts the present. Great optics, decent chemistry, and a tidy script even if tsundere characterization went a bit extreme in some cases. 8/10 RECOMMENDED trigger for suicide

Love is Better the Second Time Around AKA Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 5 of 6 - We got the past betrayal in detail and it was decently bad. Bitterness understood. Too soon to live together! The BL U-Haul strikes again. I do like their weird curry passive aggressive argument. This is an interesting show. Do I LOVE it? No. But I think I like it.

On a not-really-related note: adoption, including adult adoption, is actually pretty common in Japan (comparatively). It's often tied to business scionism.

My Strawberry Film (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 8fin - It all turned out to be a tragic GL in the end. Not BL = not my problem. No rating. I will forget its existence right about… now. 

Love is like a Cat (Korea Mon Viki) eps 1-2 of 12 - Okay, weirdly kinky with the head scratching. Not much has happened and I’m not wild about what has. 

It's done, ready to binge, but I suck

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps

It's airing but...

We Are (Weds GMMTV iQIYI) ep 1 of 16 - University ensemble BL featuring PondPhuwin, WinnySatang, AouBoom, MarcPawinPoon - basically the good kind of messy gay friendship group (so more My Engineer and less Only Friends). Looks a bit like the Kiss series but everyone is queer. I'm IN but I need my other computer and I'm traveling as usual. So I'll get caught up next week and probably won't regularly be able to watch this one.

Graduation Countdown (Taiwan YouTube) - It's too much for me to keep up with 2 minute verticals, I don't have that kind of TikTok endurance training.

A Secretly Love (Thai Sat WeTV grey) 10 eps - Completed. Worth watching?

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school. Not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing.

Kiseki Chapter 2 (Sun iQIYI) 6 eps - It’s so boring DNFed at 2.

Close Friend Season 3: Soju Bomb! (Weds iQIYI) 6 - The problem with situational comedy BL is it must be situational, comedic and a BL. This show gets 1 of 3 claims correct. 33% is not a passing grade. Dropped at 3.

In the news

Takumi-kun Series 6: Nagai Nagai Monogatari is getting the undeserved honor of Furritsubs. Follow them for details. Tip 'em if you like 'em. (Will I watch it? Oh, probably. Damn it.)

Then Next Prince turned out to be a trailer only. Word on the webs is we will be lucky if we get it this year. It’s BL Princess Diaries. Jimmy has a new pairing (that boy from Night Dream) which is... interesting. All in all, this show does not look good. Pretty but not good.

Next Week Looks Like This:

4/11 Gray Shelter AKA Gray Currents (Korea ????) 4 eps - SooHyuk is only just surviving and reunites with YoonDae, an old friend. They end up living together. One of the leads is played by Choco of Choco Milk Shake.

4/12 Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - Kindly Ryota goes off to uni only to find his new roommate is his childhood bestie, Kazuhito. Kazuhito doesn’t have a girlfriend and Ryota tries to help him figure out why, they fall in love along the way. Same director as Old Fashion Cupcake.

Still to Come in April

4/18 At 25:00, in Alaska AKA 25 Ji, Akasaka de (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - Yuki lands his first starring role in a BL drama alongside superstar Asami (previously his senior at uni). Said superstar suggests they form a sham relationship until filming concludes. As they actually begin to fall in love, the spotlight begins to burn. I think I've seen this before (joke) and also the trailer doesn't inspire confidence.

4/26 My Stand-In (Thai iQIYI) 12 eps - adaptation of Chinese novel "Professional Body Double" by Shui Qiang Cheng. Stars Up (Lovely Writer) and Poom (Bake Me Please) directed by the same team as KP (not a recommendation IMHO - my biggest criticism of that show was the clashing directing styles). This one looks well complicated, lemme try: Joe is a stuntman for famous actor Tong. Joe falls in love with Ming but Ming sees Joe as nothing more than a Tong-replacement. After learning this horrible truth, Joe dies. Joe then wakes up in the body of another man also named Joe. He manages to rebuild the same life as before—with the same people eventually re-meeting Ming. Ming wants Joe back but Joe doesn't understand why. But Ming seems to know what's going on and wants to give him some kind of explanation.

I'm exhausted just trying to describe the plot.

Knock-Knock Boys (Thai WeTV) - 4 college friends conspire to help their friend lose his virginity. Familiar faces like Seng (yes, Billy's previous partner) and Best, news here.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

NOTE: It looks like one of my personal favorites of last year Unintentional Love Story is getting a spin off!

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

See City of Stars & Unknown.

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are too much work.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will add you to the template. Easy peesy.

[thunder-point]

Long ramble ahead

I've talked a bit about some things I liked, and mostly qotey, but I mentioned already that I adore phumpeem also, and this episode just spurred my love for their dynamic even more BECAUSE

THIS REACTION???????

THIS ONE AS WELL???

HOLD UP SOMEONE HOLD ME SOMEONE HOLD PHUM'S UNSTABLE ASS

For the love of everything on this planet I LOVED LIVED BREATHED FOR IT.

Not only because I adored how positive it was on both ends, but because of the differences and the genuine quality it gave me. The kiss was absolutely delightful, once again pondphuwin just delivered on that aspect, as they did throughout the entirely of Never Let Me Go.

BUT LISTEN Y'ALL

I just????? Fucking love???? HOW DIFFERENT PHUM AND PEEM EXPRESS THEIR LIKE TOWARDS EAC H OTHER

First of all I don't know how others feel about phum's character. Personally, I enjoy it very much. He has very visible flaws, emotional constipation in some aspects, but those in some way give way for other moments that just express how free he is with his feelings.

Because he likes Peem, and this episode he expressed it so openly that it gave me LIFE.

We don't know much about Phum yet, but he seems to have a complicated relationship with his parents. It gives the feelings that he lacked the affection he needed in the past. That, of course, leads to the attitude of seeking it so selfishly like he does with Peem.

And it's enjoyable to watch. He's a needy asshole, he's arrogant and he's attractive and he's attracted to Peem and he doesn't let ANY chance slip to get that attention that he wants. And even if it started in a rough way in the beginning, I genuinely think it's mostly because, for the most part, some people who never really had the attention they needed resort to getting it in very obnoxious manners later on. Phum is doing exactly that.

There are many things to talk about when it comes to Phum, and I hope that as the series goes on we get more from him, and good things while we are at it, but I just love how his crush developed. I loved that as soon as he realized he truly fucked up, he apologized THREE times, I love how remorseful he's looking in episode 6 when Peem's ruined painting is mentioned.

And I absolutely love how blunt he is with his feelings for Peem. He doesn't waste any time in episode 6. Not even caring if his friends catch on, if Peem's friends catch on. My man Phum is on a mission and he is RELENTLESS.

I think it gives me so much joy because they could have totally made a character like Phum, who is prideful and stubborn, hide his feelings behind teasing and this 'you are my slave' act that he puts forward. But instead, we got the softest smiles from him after the kiss. We got him coming into the art gallery TO TAKE PICTURES, TO START A CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.

We got him calling Peem adorable and pleading Peem to draw on a cup with him. He just wants LOVE. He wants it and as soon as he saw Peem reciprocated in some way it's like it exploded from him. And there's so much to say about it. God.

But Peem? Listen, I love it even more on Peem's side.

Not only did this man INITIATE THE FIRST KISS, the way he's processing these emotions are so funny AND SO REAL.

I loved it from the very beginning that we see that Peem is attracted by Phum as much as he's incensed with him. He admitted it - Phum is handsome, but he's an asshole. And that's real. As someone who fell for a person who I bickered with a lot at first, I had such joy watching Peem's way through his bond with Phum and how it developed.

Because Phum has his bad sides, and he seems to bring them up around Peem for that attentions and reactions it gets him, but when Phum goes soft? That's when his attractiveness and his personality clash in a way that seems to make Peem WEAK.

"You're so demanding, Peem," said softly had Peem BY THE THROAT. And I felt that.

Phum apologizing so softly, Phum eating Peem's atrocious cooking. Peem? Absolutely GONE for it. And that's certainly such a rushing feeling to have. Peem is clearly not experienced with relationships, and that just makes the fact that he initiated the kiss SO MUCH BETTER.

Because we know that he's not scared of showing his emotions. Even if he's a people pleaser, he's not a pushover. He kicked Phum's balls back into his goddamn body as soon as he had the chance. HE THREW A CHANCLA AT HIM.

Him going for the kiss when he felt the need to MAKES SENSE. it's wonderful.

And don't get me started on how often my man seemed to fantasize back to those soft moments with Phum. Don't get me started ON HIS CONVERSATION WITH Q this episode about affection and relationships and FUCK. Don't get me started on his gay panicked ass.

that's a ramble for another post. I feel like this is already too long and too incoherent. I jumped from so many topics but I have so many feelings for these two. As many as I have for Qtoey.

[thebvbbletea]

Okay, it's time for a honest review

I love we are. I really do. I love all of the cast and It's a really fun & comforting series. Experiencing it in the real-time is super fun, it kinda reminded me of how fun it was to watch bad buddy & msp in the real-time. It's the type of series that in the next 6 months or 1 years you would go back to re-watch it.

But for a series with 16 episodes, 4 episode more than any regular series, they could do a lot lot lot better. They always saying that phumpeem & qtoey is the 'main' couple & don't get me wrong, I love pondphuwin with my whole heart, and I get it they're the most popular couple on the show, but the phumpeem situationship is dragging for sooooo long.

Tanfang & chainpun having zero proper storyline and they expect us to be satisfied with chainpun's sudden & abruptly kiss scene in the very last minute?! It's truly a shame bcs marcpoon honestly doing a great job and having a great chemistry despite sudden cast change.

And in my opinion, it would be much much much interesting if they focus on phum & fang's dad problem instead of the super long situationship of phumpeem. Not only it will added more layer into phumpeem's relationship, but we also could have tanfang's proper storyline if they stick to this story.

And don't get me started with the erasure of toey's asexuality. It's really disappointing knowing gmm already doing it with pai in cherry magic and now they also doing it to toey. They should realize that people could be an asexual without having to be an aromantic. In this matter, I would like to praise wandee goodday to gave us a proper ace icon. WHICH IS- we also could have in we are, if they not change toey's sexual identity.

I don't know.... I'm so grateful for the chance that they give to aouboom & marcpoon, to make them more popular. And I honestly really really really enjoy the first half. I would give a 100000 / 10 rating for the first half of the show. But the second half? It's just full of the fanservice and bad directing. All of the cast deserve a better storyline 😔

[justafriend-ql]

times never let me go said: happy pride! 🏳️‍🌈 (part 2)

(recommended but not required pre-reading: part 1)

emo gay teen seeks refuge from the Horrors in the music club room that his father paid for

2. what's the point of learning mandarin if you can't touch the skin of other men while doing it (the rituals are very intricate)

3. nuengdiao's bombastic side eye

4. me sitting in my room having my gay little thoughts

5. "who are you thinking of when you pull the trigger" "i'm thinking i'm protecting someone. someone important to my life. someone that i love. someone that i really care about. someone who i can't live without." it's literally episode 3 gay people are so insane

6. chopper appreciating palm's arms (palmchopper nation i see you)

7. and what do you mean by that, sir?

8. "what do you want? i can give you everything." idk i think i might know what he wants:

9. gay rights but at what cost

10. the funniest screencap in the entire series. argue with the wall.

11. chanon: you can't date anyone because you need to focus on taking care of khun nueng. palm: there's this thing called a "loophole" and i am going through it :)

12. the look of utter horror on palm and nueng's faces when mam asks if nueng is another son of chanon's

13. palm i think there is something you should know about yourself

14. mam seeing palm touching nueng's lips and going "there is absolutely no heterosexual explanation for this"

15. i have been informed that they were not, in fact, dating at the time this picture was taken

16. mam #1 palmnueng shipper

17. what if we were soulmates? jk... unless?

18. well well well... look who watched bad buddy

19. imagine getting owned by a twink in a florida tourist shirt this is so embarrassing for him

20. pondphuwin you will always be famous

21. nueng doing academic research to rationalize his scent kink

22. the thugs hiding in the bushes watching palm and nueng finish having their cute "give me a goodbye kiss before work" moment before coming out to attack palm

23. they're literally so in love i want to throw up

24. uncle kit's homophobic ass getting shot by his own (gay) son and sent to prison it's what he deserves

25. sluttiest soulmate-coded first greeting possible (period drama edition!)

26. it's not even subtext at this point (it never was)

27. none of that "wife" shit here thanks :)

28. palmnueng 🤝 the homosexual agenda

29. the two men in question

30. palmnueng read their love vows and kissed under their soulmate tree and you expect me to believe that wasn't a wedding??

✨ HAPPY PRIDE ✨

[puppy-phum]

not technically just bl, but top 5 gmmtv couples of the year 👯‍♂️

i know you said this was not restricted to BLs but that's what i went with anyway :'D also, i decided to pick CPs instead of on-screen couples bc i wasn't sure which one you meant here. i hope you're not disappointed!

-

My Top 5 GMMTV Couples of 2023

I. JimmySea (Jimmy Jitaraphol & Sea Tawinan)

ppl would probably be concerned if i didn't answer jimmy and sea. i've been here with them for over 1,5 years now and my love for them hasn't diminished at all. there's just something so comforting and genuine about them. their presence and their performances (on stage and on-screen) feel like a hug to me. i loved puentalay to bits, i am currently head over heels in love with morkday, and i keep hoping this isn't the end. gmmtv2024 part 2 will give us a new series with them bc they cannot just throw aside the depths these two have found for their relationship ♥

II. ForceBook (Force Jiratchapong & Book Kasidet)

witnessing their glorious comeback this year made me so happy. after an unjustified onslaught of hate and a long stay in gmm's basement, their chance to shine again was well overdue. enchanté and akktheo convinced me of their extraordinary chemistry, and this year forcebook truly outdid themselves in both of their series. guncher in a boss and a babe became very dear to me, and topmew showed sides of them i didn't know even existed. they've grown so much, and i hope the upcoming year only brings them more opportunities that let them shine even brighter ♥

III. OffGun (Off Jumpol & Gun Atthaphan)

probably my oldest bl actor cp. i first got to know them after theory of love where i absolutely adored khaithird. i know the majority (?) hated that show but i loved it to bits. i watched puppy honey soon after to see more of them, but never really felt too strongly about pickrome. i went around the internet to learn a bit about them as actors and people for a while but they never really stuck with me then. and then not me and seanwhite happened. offgun took over my heart again and i was truly sad when i thought not me would be their last bl. but then they announced cooking crush! and now we get the trainee too! and i just think my love for them will never end; they've been here with me through it all, in one way or another ♥

IV. PondPhuwin (Pond Naravit & Phuwin Tangsakyuen)

during the surge of bl in my life that begun with bad buddy (and maybe not me too), i binged a ton of other/older gmmtv (bl) series. fish upon the sky was one of them, and even if i never quite liked that series, i loved the chemistry between pond and phuwin. i've actually known phuwin since his acting debut under gmm (when he was a true baby) and was curious to see him with a new face. i was even more excited when i realized they would be getting a new chance with never let me go as palmnueng would introduce a very different type of setting for them. now they're very dear to me as i also came to know pond and especially phuwin as people ♥

V. MarcPawin (Marc Natarit & Pawin Thanik)

the black sheep of my 2023 that i never saw coming. honestly, i wasn't a big fan of my gear and your gown, and so i thought i was not hooked on these two. then they got their glorious comeback during the nlmg our skyy 2 eps and a whole ass tsunami were put in motion in my brain. the wave hit shore when they started getting side couple vibes in dangerous romance and finally got to kiss again. and now we have we are where these two are about to be one of the couples (still not sure if they're main or not). am obsessed. i love this comeback for them. i hope this carries them further than ittpai ever did ♥

Bonus: Mark Pakin + Everyone

i think my school president and his role as tiw started the rise of one mark pakin. after that, the year 2023 has truly been His Year. he's gone from tiw and being paired with ford to appearing as saleng in moonlight chicken where he was paired with view to then appearing again as tiw who was even more prominently with por (ford) to getting paired with neo in only friends as nick and now ending his year as night in last twilight where we've seen the first hints of him being paired with namtan. boy keeps changing partners like socks and it's absolutely brilliant bc he has chemistry with everybody. he's even teased new upcoming projects with a new partner (ohm thi?) and keeps saying he's truly fine with any partner and anyone we'd like to ship him with. an icon. a legend. i love him a lot.

-

thank you for sending this question to me jess! i hope this was anything like what you wanted to see ^^ i made some tough decisions here bc i also had several other couples/ppl i would've liked to point out after this year.

[bl-bam-beyond]

WE ARE: THE SERIES (2024, THAILAND)

Episode 5

Phum (NARAVIT LERTRATKOSUM aka POND) has been showing a different side as his prank on Pheem (PHUWIN TANGSAKYUEN) solicited many a apology.

Phum now uses their "slave contract" to get Pheem to join him for alone time.

After a friend group head out together (bring the art majors and the engineering majors plus Fang together) Phum and Pheem like Tan and Fang before them separate off on their own little dates.

Tan and Fang become the first of the four couples to become official.

But Phum and Pheem reach their first milestone, not yet a couple the two share a first kiss (not including the accidental kiss Phum landed earlier) initiated by Pheem.

[ranchthoughts]

hi this is @pondphuwin on main, here's my 'they should have kissed but didn't' list:

- nanon/pond in dirty laundry

- off/mond in midnight motel

- fluke/first in the shipper

- pawin/satang in star in my mind

- papang/pepper in dangerous romance

- view/june in dangerous romance

- dew/tu in f4 thailand

- jennie/tee in only friends

- pluem/chimon in my dear loser/our skyy 1, nanon/chimon in the gifted/the gifted graduation (my chimon should have been kissing men on gmmtv way earlier agenda)

- does it count if they have kissed in other series just not in this one? if so ... drake/frank in 2gether/still 2gether, aou/boom in vice versa, ohm/nanon in vice versa

thank you for coming to my ted talk 😇

Hi!

Amazing list. I'll add these to my notes

Yes I think it should count if they have kissed but not in that series... I'll make a separate list for that.

[lamonnaie]

GMMTV 2024 Part 1 roundup :)

it's been a day, i've had some time to gather my thoughts, so i wanted to get them all down in one spot. (Only really gonna be talking about the shows I plan on watching, in order that they were announced!)

1. We Are the series

aka ALL my favourite couples in one show ahhh 😭😭 i was so happy when the trailer started, you mean i get winnysatang marcpawin pondphuwin AND aouboom all in one??? i wanna be a bit cautious seeing it's directed by p'new and i'm not a huge fan of his work, but i'm super excited for this regardless :] looks like a cute romcom à la futs, which i rlly loved <3 i WILL be hyping this up no matter how it turns out :D

2. Only Boo!

rookie leads !!! strong msp vibes with this one (which i'm not opposed to at all, and i'm pretty sure is what they're trying to emulate) it looks rlly cute?? i know keen is from proj alpha so at least i'm not worried about the singing/dancing for once 😅😅 and we get aun in the side cp!! and louis dance role!! honestly this could turn out rlly good and i'm gonna tune in to at least the first few eps :)

3. Peaceful Property

The second tay slapped new in the face with the sandwich and jan instantly had her camera out, i was 100% sold. but fr, i love horror comedy and ghost stuff, and we get it with taynew + mook and jan!! all the dynamics look like so much fun and i already know i'm gonna enjoy this a lot

4. My Golden Blood

OH MY GOD THIS SHOW i went for a dinner break during the performances, then came back and was planning on just quickly skimming through the livestream to catch up. well, the first 20 seconds of the trailer played, and once i realised what was happening (JOSSGAWIN BL HELLOOOO????) i had to pause and faceplant on my bed for a solid 5 minutes to process it. vampire series would have already had me hooked, but jossgawin??? looking super gritty?? mond evil vampire moment?? neo with a baseball bat (in his sand era🤨)?? gawin my fav in another lead role??? Also the bloody kiss !!!!! guys i'm dead i'm literally writing this from the grave (hoping to meet my own hot vampire guy) Basically i dont care if the cgi's a bit questionable or if the story's cliche, i WILL be eating this up, be ready for it to be my whole personality

5. Kidnap the series

OHM!!! my day one!!! 😭😭 so he was hanging out with leng a couple months ago and i was wondering ahaha what if...? AND NOW !!! WE ACTUALLY GOT OHMLENG !!! i'm rlly happy to see him back to bl, and i like how he stars opposite lots of different ppl (just like gawin). The concept actually seems rlly interesting + more mature, leng is gorgeous and seems like a good actor, and the tied hands sleeping scene totally had me sold on the pairing <33 also ohm squared siblings !!! i rlly like ohm tpk :) and PAPANG WITH A GUN WOOOHHH i said i needed more papang on my screens and my wishes have been answered 🙏🙏 i'm gonna be so annoying about this show as well once it airs ahjskdjfh

[5.5. special mention: Summer Night]

gmm knew Exactly what they were doing with those first 30 seconds 😭😭 i was rlly getting hyped up for a dunkphuwin show but ofc it was too good to be true <//3 not gonna be watching this, but i'm still holding out for a joylada poly show at some point... pls gmm 🙏🥺🥺

6. Wandee Goodday

Okay so I saw the GreatInn lore a couple months ago (guys pls read it here it's insane), and i didn't think too much of it because it did seem kinda random, BUT HERE WE ARE WOOOHHHH this show looks so good??? Great with braids <3 ployphach <3 podd homewrecker era <3 mature bl with adult characters <3 directed by golf tanwarin <3 and even more good things!! also i have no idea what the song in the trailer is but it goes so hard, rlly suits the show. i'm all for this pairing and the whole show looks like so much fun Also thorfluke!!! (thor out here collecting all the flukes - thorgawin for 2025??) loved the situp scene and i'm rlly vibing with this pair <3 another show that will be all i talk about once it airs

7. High School Frenemy

God what is that name 💀💀 definitely one where just a literal translation of the thai name would have probably been better names aside, sky and nani !!!! i rlly liked sky in some other shows, and i'm loving the tension between the two. lol i had ohmsky and ohmnani on my gmm24 bingo, i guess we just got it without the middle man 😂😂 also i see they're pulling a double savage with the bromance toeing the fine line of bl hajskdj honestly i don't mind that at all, i think sky and nani have good chemistry and it doesn't seem like there's a random female side wedged in for drama. also so many of my favs as side characters, i'm happy to see them <3 overall, i'll probably watch it if i'm not too busy when it's airing (or just bingewatch it after)

8. My Love Mix-Up!

Gem4th series announced last, who's surprised lmao. this looks very cute!! i know nothing about the source material, but gemini and fourth are great actors, and i trust p'au's directing. i was hoping for something a bit more mature for them (like heartliming was) because i think they're so good in those heavier scenes, but i rlly don't mind this either !! i've been on a kick for less high school bls lately though, but i had the same thought for msp and that ended up being one of my fav shows of all time, so i'm not gonna go into this with any preconceived notions :) gonna tune in for this, no doubt gem4th will serve like they always do

Overall, i was rlly pleased with the lineup this time around. Lots of shows i'm rlly excited for !! a bunch of my favs didn't show up even once which... yeah, but i'm holding out for part 2 🤞🤞 :)

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Everything Went a Bit Weird Allasudden

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

BL OLYMPICS! Week 2

I'll be passing out metals in various sporting events, as part of the weekly updates (through mid August) just for funzies.

Aug 2024 Week 1

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Rebound (Weds Gaga) eps 11-12fin - THE STAIRS ARE BACK and now they’re evil! Frank is truly great. He's out acting everyone else, but I'm just happy to see him pine. OK yes, the ending wasn’t awesome but I still really enjoyed this show. 

In conclusion: (deep breath)

This was a sports romance Thai BL pulp with everything I could have asked for given this sub genre. More, actually, since MeenPing are both great basketball players and the team component really did form part of the connective tissue of the show (vital in a sports romance). Meen has his shirt off within the first two minutes which is all I needed but he's still pretty great as the sullen secret keeper against Ping's cheerful survivor - childhood sweethearts torn asunder and now reunited. Then Frank sweeps in to give everyone a bad case of second lead syndrome. I always try to judge BL for what it is AS BL, and what it’s trying to do within its own territory and purview. This did exactly what it claimed on the tin: gay boys play b-ball and fall in love. That was all I wanted from it. Sure there was random kidnapping and a light bought of mass murder, but what’s a BL in 2024 without a touch of the mafia? You do you little pulp, I’m disposed to be pleased.

Thank you, Rebound, for being exactly what I wanted. Is this gonna be anybody else’s favorite BL of 2024? Probably not. But there is a real good chance it’ll be mine. Is it perfect? No. But for me, it got as close as a pulp can get, so I’m giving it 9/10.

My Love Mix-Up Th (Fri YT) ep 9 of 12 - Them being boyfriends is so damn adorable. Like PondPhuwin I think I could watch G4 just be boyfriends for 16 eps and not fuss about anything in life. They're my emotional support pair brand. Back to the show:

My goodness Atom is such a frenetic high strung babygirl. He is a near constant emotional pingpong.

Gold in Table Tennis

K is a teenage saint. The lights thing, and the hands to head (reminiscent of certain previous characters from this pair), all made me coo and laugh. 

However, this ep was mostly about the hets. It’s always funny to me when the gays have their shit figured out in a show but the hets are in chaos.

Also they're touted as "a teacher and a baker" but they're playing the gay dads of this narrative and I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. More gay dads in BL!

This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans (Fri iQIYI) ep 5 of 8 - I’m just gonna say it, because no one else is, this pair kisses like they’re in a Taiwanese BL. There’s no other way to put it except there’s a whole body genuine interest and enthusiasm to the way they do physicality that’s comparatively rare in Thai BL. This kind of on-screen sexual maturity is my favorite, especially in grown-up characters like these. The side couple = awesomesause. JJ is a very appealing character. He hates Methas, he likes him, he loathes him, and also... he definitely wants to see him naked. 

All praise aside? I have questions about why half the hair in this show is so absolutely ghastly. Like bad enough for Japan. Enough of that now, Thailand. Tut tut. Cut cut. Style style. Please & thank you?

Then again who cares when we get...

They already won silver last week, but I guess they're going for

Gold in Weightlifting

Century of Love (Weds Gaga) eps 7-8 of 10 - Well THAT is an interesting take on a Faen Fetale. As expected, a somewhat doomy ep 7. I did enjoy the doctor punching San tho.

Bronze in Boxing

Meanwhile, that camel jacket is a sin against all things, especially Daou. But I eventually got a crying kiss. I love a crying kiss best in the world. Next week looks good! But I miss my nine tailed fox nod. Will we get back to that or was it just a brief weird thing?

The Trainee (Sun YouTube) ep 5 of 12 - It’s kinda great actually. The romance is the only bit that isn’t really hitting for me. Gun’s smile at the "oppa" is so adorable. His little dimples.

Sunset X Vibes (Sat iQIYI) ep 8 of 12 - I really do not like the pet name in this one. Khun Dad is too weird for me. But I do think their relationship is ridiculously cheesy and endearing in a terrible way. These two are the equivalent of that couple that always speaks in baby talk. It’s a good thing they’re pretty because they’re not so bright. Wait! No Christmas music in my BL! That's far too weird. 

Bronze in Diving

I Saw You in My Dream (Weds Gaga) ep 3 of 12 - I’m liking this a lot better now. It’s still a little slow for me but since the bullying has stopped relatively quickly I’m not as upset as I was. Also, look at those eyes, our P'Seme is IN LURV. That said, I’m not wild about the sudden suicide plot line. That feels... weird.

Battle of the Writers (Sun YT) - TutorYim are back and so far this is better than Middleman's Love - but that's not saying much. For a second there I thought they were going to open on the REAL blindfold scene from Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation. But then I remembered that that’s more Mame than anyone else. On a completely different note, I do like this pair. And I’m willing to give them ever more chances. That said this is very, I don’t know, weird? I’m not sure what is happening, and I’m confident that’s not my fault. I hope it makes sense eventually.

Knock Knock Boys (Thurs Gaga) ep 11 of 12 - Peak's dad is so completely frustrating and kind of psychotic. It’s annoying to watch. So I spent most of this episode upset. I'm glad he came around in the end but it was a lot, mostly unforgivable, from this side of the screen.

Love Sea (Sun iQIYI) ep 8 of 10 - It's committing the greatest sin of all (in the realm of entertainment). It's mind numbingly dull. I'd sooner be offended than bored. Trash watch

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

I Hear the Sunspot AKA Hidamari ga Kikoeru (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 7 of 10 - I don’t remember the camping trip from the manga, but I really enjoyed it in this series.

Takara's Treasure AKA Takara No Vidro (Japan Mon Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - The bit with the kid was cute but I’m still finding this rather slow and the central relationship unappealing. I think the balance of power has to shift for me to engage, and I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

It's airing but...

Bad Guy (Korea YT) - yeah, erm, no thank you.

Sugar Dog Life (Japan Sun ????) 10 eps - OMG a uni student who looks too young and a... COP. GAH. The subversion and kink of it all. Please SOMEONE pick this one up?

4 Minutes (Thai Netflix/Grey) - A rich boy at uni suddenly gains the supernatural power to see four minutes into the future. I have a source, but I've decided to hold off and binge if it ends okay, since it's only 8 eps. I depend upon y'all to tell me how it goes.

Meet You at the Blossom (China) - it's your funeral (or, more likely, one of the main characters'). You can argue but... statistics. You know my feelings on this matter. MY BLOG, remember?

In case you missed it

The Time of Fever AKA Unintentional Love Story 2 (Korea movie) trailer IS COMING IN SEPTEMBER!!!!

Next Week Looks Like This:

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

Coming Up This Month!

8/6 Cosmetic Playlover (Japan Tues Gaga) 8 eps - office romance around the makeup counter featuring a younger seme and sexual blackmail. I'm intrigued. DFTUJ (don't fuck this up, Japan).

8/8 Monster Next Door (Thai Thurs Gaga ) 12 eps - I am so DAMN excited to see Big finally lead a BL. I can't even with this, one of my most anticipated of this year. He's a great kisser ya'll, he's kissed a lot of boys as second lead. I can't WAIT.

8/12 First Note Of Love (Taiwan Mon Gaga) 12 eps - About a singer with stage fright and his timid fan stars Charles (H4 the puppy one) and Michael Chang (the youngster in My Tooth Your Love), plus side couple featuring a Thai actor Jame (Koh in Gen Y) and Liu Min Ting (of Guardian fame). What a damn tean. I can't wait. With thier powers combined!

8/13 Addicted Heroin (Thai Tues YT) - supposedly Jinlo with air this on their YT channel. Stars August (Love Sick) so I'm excited despite Jinlo's poor reputation. From the trailer it looks like it's following the original pretty closely just Thai style.

8/16 The Last Time (Thai Fri YT) ? eps - Convoluted story of loss and possible reincarnation or something.

8/22 The Paradise of Thorns (Thai movie) theater release - Jeff Satur is back but this does not look like a BL (the gay lover's death is the inciting event). More in Goodbye Mother vein. Looks dark and dramatic. He opposite and extremely well known actor Toey Pongsakorn who has never done gay before.

Addicted Heroin (Thailand adaptation) is also supposed to release this month. GIVE IT TOO MEEEEEE. I don't care about anything else but August back on my screen. It's been almost a decade since he did BL.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

This is the kind of jealousy I like to see. Boys getting pissed about the stupid stuff.

Also, more counter making out. I'm not complaining, but babies the bed is way more comfortable.

All from Long Beans.

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a pain.

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

Sigh, Tumblr in its infinite wisdom doesn't like too many tags.

Sports in Play (the jokes write themselves)

Boxing

Breaking

(That's Not) Cricket

Diving (yes, for that)

Fencing (yes, with those)

Handball (exactly what it says, no, read the word.. again)

Rhythmic Gymnastics (obvs)

Squash (snicker)

Surfing

Swimming

Trampoline

Table Tennis

Weightlifting

Wrestling