#Sof Watches BL

[pinkkop]

Best BLs of 2024

To my surprise, it appears that we've entered 2025, so before I give myself over to the new year I wanted to share my 15 favourite BLs of 2024 in no particular order. Here we go!!!

🇹🇼 The On1y One

This show came complete out of left field and absolutely blew me away! The slow burn was just so delicious which I actually think is a pretty hard thing to do but with acting this good and a great production quality, it did not ever get too slow or too boring. I just wish they would get a second season because, as I've talked about before, I'm convinced the creators intended for this to be just the first season. I'm still holding out hope for a second season but I do worry that since we haven't heard anything concrete yet that we might not get one.

🇰🇷 The Time of Fever

I already knew this was going to be good since I loved these two in Unintentional Love Story. This is actually very similar to The On1e One and did it just as well but with a slightly different approach. The yearning was palpable in the best way possible!

It's such a pity that it seems like the Korean BL market is struggling right now but this show was no disappointment. Would love a sequel to Unintentional Love Story now because I need to see these two finally get their shit together.

🇹🇼 Unknown

Taiwan does gray area stories so well and this was a perfect example. It was so delicious to witness Yuan just love and yearn for Qian and just get stronger and stronger in the conviction that he was made for loving Qian. I'm also just weak for a character who doesn't think much of themselves and don't believe they deserve to be loved like their romantic interest wants to and then for them to finally cave to the persistence of their romantic partner. Could watch a trillion of those types of pairings and this show was a really good take on the trope.

🇰🇷 Love for Love's Sake

This was an odd one but I really liked the concept. The acting, plot and production was really good and I liked how this added something fresh. It's a similar type of pairing as Unknown so again this was right up my alley. One of these days I should look at all my favourite shows and see how often this dynamic pops up because I bet it's a lot. 

🇹🇭 Cherry Magic th

Is this the same type of pairing as both Unknown and Love For Love's Sake?!  You bet it is!!!

Tay and New were just so good in this. I loved that they're both actual dorks but Karan is just better at hiding it so Ashi believed Karan was better than him. In reality they were just the same and perfect for each other. Also I just absolutely love this version of Karan because, as I said before, he' was's such a dork and hearing his inner thoughts through Ashi's powers was such a highlight of this show. Favourite scene was in the bus when Ashi leaned on Karan's shoulder and you just heard Karan's internal screaming. Such a mood!! It just made Karan so much more down to earth and I think Ashi and Karan are one of the few BL pairings where I can imagine them being together for the rest of their lives because they'd be both best friends and lovers.

I did struggle with the Pai character because she was such a good female character and representation of the struggles a lot of woman have. I so badly wanted her to stay single and happy on her own and it felt unnecessary to pair her with Rock. Even more so because her Japanese counter part was actually asexual so I would have loved for Pai to have a similar story line.

🇯🇵 25 Ji, Akasaka de

Just so much pining!!! And another character feeling unworthy of their romantic interest but I feel like this was slightly different, more in an idolizing way and Japan does that really well. 

🇨🇳 Blue Canvas of Youthful Days

This was such a raw feeling show and s big surprise coming out of China. It felt real and raw without feeling like it was low quality. I loved both pairings so much and maybe I'm a masochist but I loved having my heart broken every week.

It didn't quite stick the landing but honestly, with it being China, I'm not surprised the ending got muddled and famously I don't mind when a show doesn't stick it's landing (See my love of HIStory3: Make Our Days Count). It's still worth watching so much and I will definitely watch it again myself. 

🇹🇭 Every You, Every Me

I already enjoyed Top and Mick in their segment of My Universe so I was very excited for this one. This was also a nice surprise because I was just expecting another anthology show but the way they connected the couples was really clever. The ending was a little weak but again here, I didn't think it really hurt the show too much, it just meant this is a good show that could have been even more amazing.

I feel like Top and Mick really proved themselves in this and I really hope that we get more of them. They're a rare pairing that don't visually have a clear top/bottom dynamic while also being good enough actors to be able to both pull of playing both roles.

🇹🇭 I Saw You in My Dream

This was a cute little show and I was happily surprised that they pulled off the more ambitious concept of the prophetic dreams. Both couples were really great and I had such a good time watching along. 

🇨🇳 Meet You at the Blossom

Finally a Wuxia BL from China, by the help of Thailand and Taiwan. This was all I wanted it to be and I can't wait to see how these actors do going forward with them being Chinese and all. I hope we get more Wuxia BLs because this was soooo much fun. I loved both main and secondary characters and pairings and the plot was just the right amount of unhinged.

🇹🇭 We Are

I was worried about this show having so many couples and episodes but I loved how they intertwined and balanced the pairings and gave us a show which was engaging and interesting all the way through.

I love me some found family and all the pairings were great in their own ways. I did particularly love Peem and Phum. It's the hurt character with walls so high all over again (adds another tally to the count). To be honest PhumPeem are still rotating in my mind to this day which I think is a testament to how well this show was executed.

🇹🇭 Spare Me Your Mercy

This was such an engaging watch and it was so cool to get another BL which was really a romance second and another genre first. The crime and mystery of this show was really great and the production quality fit really well. I talked in this post about it struggling with only having 8 episodes which I wholeheartedly think is most of the reason why this show is just good and not absolutely amazing. 

🇯🇵 Takara no Vidro

Another little gem of a show with characters who are perfect for each other but don't believe they're worthy of the other person. Japan does this really well so this was a success. 

🇹🇭 Pit Babe

This was a wild ride with a wild plot and concept but it committed to the bit and made me really invested in the characters and made it easy to get on board with the ABO dynamic of this show and what it meant for the plot.  

🇰🇷 Love in the Big City

This was a top tier QL! It's one of those BLs that are really more about the realities of being queer than the romance which is when a ton of people pop out of the woodwoork to debate whether this is a BL or Queer Media™ as if the latter is inherently better than the first, which is a ridiculous sentiment. Sure, if you don't want to call this a BL because the focus is much more on the realities of being Queer in South Korea then I'm not going to burn you at the stake but don't make this out to be better than BL as a whole. BL is Queer Media and not inherently worse or better than other queer media, especially the kind that don't focus on romance. Anyways, a small tangent.

This show is great and well worth a watch. I don't know if I'll ever watch it again personally because it just left me feeling so raw and too seen. 

[forcebook]

hi babe💗 have you heard about mr unlucky has no choice but to kiss? it's a new japanese bl the second ep comes out tomorrow i believe. i loved the first ep it was so funny and cute!! the mc is hilarious and the ml kinda has kurosawa vibes!! i think you'll like it👀

btw! love your new header!!!! (maybe not so new already but still) so pretty, i like the noise💞

- @ahxu-laowen

hi booooooo!!!! yes, i have! and i did watch the first episode. it was definitely not what i was expecting, like every turn it kept surprising me with the choices 🤣🤣🤣 but in a very lovely way and i am looking forward to the next episode. you’re vvv right!!!

thank you so much for telling me about it! and for always thinking of me! i swear you make my days brighter and i’m always excited when i see that you tagged me in a post. i’m like !!!!!! what has reminded sof of me this time!!!!!! it’s like opening a box and always finding the right gift inside 🥰

ahhhh i’m so glad you like it!!!! i admittedly watch my header for endless hours because i’m very normal about them and i miss them a normal amount akdjksksks

thank you sooooo much!!!! love youuuu!!!!!!! ❤️💙

[myherowritings]

Hi sof! I’ve been following for a while and I recently watched this kdrama that made me think of todoroki 🥺. In the whole drama he’s so cold to literally everyone but to the main character he always protects her and stuff it’s so cute and the whole drama all I could think about was you and todoroki 🥺 ilysm never stop posting plz

DON’T BE SHY TELL ME THE KDRAMA 😳 i never finished a kdrama but i want to 🥺 and a love interest that reminds u of todo?? I NEED IT BLS 🥺🤲🏼

[vermemesol]

SoFt BiAs TaG

Tagged by the one and only @starry-sof <3

Who is your bias? Hansol Vernon Chwe not Chew :D

What made you notice them? You know when he gets slapped in Mansae? Y e a h . T H A T . :DDD

What’s your favorite thing about him? The way he smiles. The way he raps. How his beautiful his eyes are. Eyebrows on fleek. His passion for music and rapping. Every little thing he does just makes me go soft. OH. REMEMBER WHEN HE MADE STITCH DANCE TO DWC. 

Who would initiate skinship more? I feel like it’d be neither of us. Either that or him cuz I don’t do skinship but if it’s initiated I’m fine with it!

Who would be more clingy? NOT ME. NOR HIM. I think.

Who would hog blankets more? M E. I get cold really easily but for the sake of both of us, we shall cuddle in a pile of blankets. W e Ca N mA k E a Bl a Nk ET Fo R T ! !!

Who would say ‘I love you’ first? We would probably both wait really really long. Or it’d be him. Because I’m really awkward with things like birthday greetings, I miss yous etc.

Who would be more easily flustered? Most probs me???

What cuddling position would you two have? I’m not an expert at positions but I would probably just bury my face in his chest or smth while hugging him. I don’t really like spooning cuz I wanna be able to see his face easily and take in his scent. It sounds weird I know.

Which colors remind you of them? Green and yellow because during Diamond Edge his outfit was yellow and his mic was green. Warm colours in general remind me of him because he just seems so warm...

Which season would you like to spend with them? Every season tbh. During Spring I’d like to go for walks and flower viewing with him; in Summer I’d like to have ice cream with him; in Autumn and Winter, I purely just want to wear matching hoodies with him and drink hot cocoa. Cliche I know.

Who would bake the cookies and who would steal the batter? We would probably switch. He’d probably ask his family how to bake cookies tbh. But it would probably mostly be me baking and him stealing.

Which one of you would make bad puns and how would the other react? WE’D BOTH MAKE BAD PUNS H U E. He might actually laugh but I would mostly be completely done with him.

Who would want to adopt 50 dogs and cats? DOGGOS. WAIT. NO. LET’S GET 25 EACH.

Which one of you would nearly burn the kitchen down trying to microwave a pop tart and who would come to the rescue? Oh my God. He’d burn it. I’m like 117% sure he would. And I’d laugh first then rescue.

Who likes to lean over tall railings, and who pulls them back? He would lean. I’m terrified of falling.

What would watching a horror film with them be like? HAHAHAHAHA. We’d both scream. Or maybe do a commentary session. We’re both pretty scared I think. But if we have each other it’d be less scary.

Who would be the cheesy flirt, and who would be the bold flirt? I think he’d be both because I can’t even flirt if it meant it’d save my life.

Who is more competitive? Neither of us! I feel that Hansol isn’t that competitive and I’m definitely chill. 

Who would be would have to be given constant reminders (remember to eat, don’t forget your keys, etc.) H I M. Okay maybe I need the reminders too at times. But I feel like it’d mostly be him that needs it.

Who sends memes and who sends cute ‘I miss you’ texts at 3AM? BOTH OF US HAHAHAHAHA. I can get pretty high or emotional in the middle of the night and I’m sure that sometimes he would miss his loved ones in the middle of the night instead of purely wanting to send just memes.

I shit you not. I almost melted from doing this tag.

I tag anyone that wants to do this! Because I have no friends.

[pinkkop]

I've now posted my second weekly QL recap post and I'm honestly just really proud of myself. Not just that I've stuck to doing it but also that I've managed to make it something I might actually be able to keep doing because I've made it as easy as possible for myself. That way it's less likely that it'll start feeling like a chore or that it'll take up a lot of my time when I'd rather be talking about the shows than formatting a post.

So because I'm a nerd and I kinda wanna show off a little bit because I'm proud of what I've managed to make, let me tell you exactly what I've set up to make my weekly recap post.

The basis for the post is simple enough: an excel spreadsheet and a python script.

My Spreadsheet of BLs

The spreadsheet is based on My Watchlist on MyDramaList which I literally just do ctrl+A and copypaste into a sheet. This is then automatically compiled into a different sheet where I've made a better overview of all the shows I'm watching and have watched in the past.

Based on this I've set up the weekly overview in a separate sheet shown below

When I'm compiling my weekly recap I can then easily add any new information here.

For new shows I add the information below to the sheet

- MD Title (copied from MyDramaList overview sheet)

- Title (usually copy of MD title with minor edits)

- Site I'm watching the show on

- Tags I want to use for the show

- Episode nr. I'm starting the show on

I also make a banner for the show but I've found a good source for images so it doesn't take long most of the time.

I have to manually upload the banner for the first week but then for the second week a show is in the recap, I can add the HTML for the banner from the previous week's post to the sheet. That way the banner will just be automatically be added to the post every week after that.

Throughout the week I then write notes on each episode I watch into the sheet and before I make the actual post I add the order I want the shows to appear in on the post.

The Script is Where the Magic Happens

When I've finished filling out the spreadsheet for the week I go to my python script, change the week number in the script and run the script.

In the script I've taken the HTML code from my original recap post and set it up so the script fills the information from my spreadsheet for each show into the right places in the HTML code. Since I doubt you guys would find it riveting to look at my full script, here's a little snippet!

When I run the script it then prints out the HTML for the post which I can insert into a new post on tumblr and voila, a weekly recap!!!

I do then have to go through the text for each show and add breaks and spellcheck because that's easier to do here than in the excel cell where I write the notes to begin with. If I have any overall notes or any new banners I have to add, then this is also when I'd do it.

I'm sure there are things you could set up in a better way but this works for me and reduces the amount of time I have to set aside every week for creating the post by a lot. It just makes it easier for me to share my thoughts in a way that's nice to look at without having to spend a ton of time formatting a post each week.

Hope this didn't take away any of the magic behind my posts but just gave a cool insight into the things you can do to make recurring posts easier to make.

Any questions or comments are welcome!

Side note: if you use tumblr on the mobile app and notice that any of the lines with "Episode x of x || Watching on:[site]" are split into two lines, let me know!

That line was surprisingly the hardest to make look the way I wanted because the width of posts and look of text types change depending on whether you're on desktop or the mobile app.

[pinkkop]

This week’s recap is brought to you from a train!!! Also in case anyone missed it I made a post with some tips and tricks on how to use the Tumblr Search Function which you guys might find helpful.

QL Recap for Week 5

The 27th of January to the 2nd of February

🇹🇭 Your Sky

Episode 12 of 12 || Watching on: iQiYi, Sunday

Really liked this show and it kept me invested all the way 'til the end. All three couples were great and weirdly the one who I'd love to see the most in another show in the future is Save. Thomas and Kong were great but I'm not sure how easy it would be for them to pull off other dynamics than this one at least at the moment. They definitely delivered in this show though! The NC scene in the final episode absolutely blew my mind and I’m really happy they had it in the episode because if there’s one thing I find frustrating it’s the Blushing Maiden trope and this scene showed us how Rak absolutely wasn’t a blushing maiden. Sure, he was hesitant in the beginning of their relationship but he was still very much into Fah both romantically and sexually. I loved seeing him taking charge and Fah’s reaction was just great.

🇹🇭 The Boy Next World

Episode 5 of 10 || Watching on: iQiYi, Sunday

This show is still confusing but it helps that we now know that Jin can read minds and that there is no parallel world(?). I feel like there must be some kind of other supernatural thing going on with Cir though because some of the dreams Cir’s having seem like they aren’t normal. Boss and Noeul though are fire as always and that bj scene was mind blowing. I’d like to send a fruit basket to Boss (or whoever gave him directions) for giving Noeul’s legs some attention once again. I’m a big fan of some body worship and when they focus on other body parts in BL NC scenes so I was thrilled to see it. It can get pretty repetitive when the shows always do the classic “kiss him down his chest and then up again”.

🇹🇭 Perfect 10 Liners

Episode 15 of 24 || Watching on: Youtube, Sunday

I’m really liking Santa and Perth in this so it's safe to say that I'm on board with their pairing. It was very satisfying to see Yotha finally figure out what’s up and then get to experience a loving family. Not big on relationships that seem to be so magical that they fix all your trauma but it seems to be a theme this week so I guess I have to live with it.

🇹🇭 Sangmin Dinneaw

Episode 6 of 8 || Watching on: iQiYi, Sunday

This show keeps being so weird and just an odd mix of plot and genre. As with the past weeks I’m still enjoying Sangmin and Dinneaw’s part and for the most part also Tor and Athit but I don’t care for Pony and the third couple at all!

🇹🇭 The Heart Killers

Episode 10 of 12 || Watching on: Youtube, Wednesday

Finally Fadel and Bison know what’s up with their "Mom"!! I loved seeing Fadel dealing with the knowledge that his ex had been killed by “Mother”. His breakdown and the following desperate attempt at pushing Style away was delicious. Just standing ovation to Joong. Is it clear who my favourite character is?!

🇹🇭 ThamePo Heart That Skips a Beat

Episode 8 of 13 || Watching on: Youtube, Friday

I’m still enjoying this but I’m starting to feel a little frustrated with some of the characters. I was ready to slap Thame when he almost suggested that they should basically compete for Po’s love. Also I’m very much of the opinion that Jun definitely has feelings for Po and just decided to step aside when he realized that Po has feelings for Thame because if not then what the fuck was he doing this episode?!

🇯🇵 Futtara Doshaburi

Episode 4 of 7 || Watching on: Gagaoolala, Friday

I’m still on the fence about this show. I’m intrigued by what it’s trying to say and I really like the production but I’m still worried about where it’s going. All the relationship problems in this show are in part due to inaction and missing communication and maybe a dash of denial about the state of their relationship which I can’t quite figure out if that’s my cup of tea or not. Especially Nakarei straight up annoys me because he just keeps trying to sleep with his partner even when he’s been told no many times that he doesn't want to. Like you basically started this relationship knowing that it wouldn’t have a physical component so why the fuck do you keep throwing yourself at your partner?! Also he just has this air of superiority which irritates me.

🇹🇭 Petrichor

Episode 10 of 10 || Watching on: iQiYi, Saturday

I liked this show and I definitely think it’s worth the watch. Sammon writes some cool stories, but it does often come at the cost of the relationship which is a pity. Don't know if it's because they workshop the shows differently, don't pay much attention to it during production or if it's because the plot outside the romance gets priority in post production.

🇨🇳 I'll Turn Back This Time

Episode 4 of 6 || Watching on: Gagaoolala, Saturday

I’ll be honest, this show isn’t good enough for me to enjoy plot points around homophobic parents, so I wasn’t a big fan of the turn this episode took. I’ll definitely watch this 'til the end but my enjoyment and investment took a bit of a dive this episode.

That's it for this week!!

For links and airing schedule check out World of BL (Only for BLs)

[pinkkop]

2024 Tumblr Top 10

I felt left out of the tag game so here I am, standing in front of my fellow tumblr peeps, asking them to love me to listen to me ruminate about my top 10 posts from 2024 😊

1. Day 27: Top 3 15 BL Kisses?  570 notes - Nov 14 2024

I’d like to send a formal apology to @slonekaru​ for disrespecting their prompt!

This was day 27 of the 15 Day BL Challenge (don’t worry about the numbers in that sentence 😅) and the prompt actually asked for your 3 favourite BL kisses but I just kept thinking of more great kisses and in the end I settled on sharing 15, which was good because you’re only allowed 30 GIFs in a tumblr post and that is exactly how many GIFs the post has 🤯😅

I’m glad so many people enjoyed this compilation and agreed with me on these kisses being some good ones 😊

2. Dr. Kan is sitting on a Y Chair in a series Y 128 notes - Dec 15 2024

This was the most random little post but apparently people enjoyed learning this little tidbit of knowledge I had rattling around my brain. I will do my best to supply you with more random knowledge in 2025. 

I am still waiting for my experience as someone who studied Civil Engineering to come in handy with all the BL boys studying engineering 😅

3. An Ode to the The Sign NC scene 106 notes - Jan 9 2024

This one straight up got me sent to horny jail but I persevered and found a way to bring this masterpiece of an NC scene to the masses with my running commentary. Another thing I aspire to be more often: Horny on Main™

4. Trash-watches and what do you do with your negative opinions? 93 notes - Jun 10 2024

This was sparked because of my frustration with people hate-watching shows. It frustrates me to no end when people are engaging with a piece of media entirely in bad faith and with the intent of criticizing it to hell and back with not much nice to say. It resulted in some interesting conversation about what is the best way to use tumblr when you have something negative to say or criticism of a piece of media. 

I think my conclusion about this is that if you’re engaging with a piece of media in good faith and aren’t doing it just to hate on the show you should probably be fine but it’s always good to consider how the fans of the piece of media will feel when they come across your post or comment. And if in doubt maybe leave you’re negative opinions behind a cut and make sure people are warned about your approach, then people themselves can decide whether they want to see it or engage with it. I don’t think not tagging the posts is a good way to solve this but then again I’m also a big fan of tagging things properly.

At the end of the day just be kind and mindful of other people, and then just do what you feel is best.

5. Why do more people watch BL than GL? 39 notes - Mar 9 2024

Want a full essay on theories of why people watch more BL than GL?

Look no further!!!

It’s been 10 months since I wrote this and I’ve become more and more sure of my theories since then. Whenever I see someone talk about why they don’t get into GL much it always falls into one or more of these categories. 

If I had all the time and resources in the world and was still in university I would legit make a research project out of this because I find it so fascinating.

6. What trope do you enjoy and wish to see more of? 37 notes - Nov 11 2024

This is day 24 of the 15 Days BL Challenge. 

I’m just a sucker for some form of “hurt/traumatized character with low self-esteem who thinks they’re unlovable or damaged goods and then they’re proved wrong by their romantic interest".

One of these days I need to check how many of my favourite BLs fit into this category because I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s most of them.

7. Spare Me Your Mercy: Good but could’ve been amazing 34 notes - Dec 26 2024

I really liked this show and had so much fun watching it but I also had a lot of thoughts on what it could have done better if it had a longer runtime.

I honestly think I understated how much I liked the show in this post. I wish I’d spent more time talking about all the things I really like about this show but I still agree with the majority of the points I make in the post.

8. World of BL shout-out 31 notes - Dec 11 2024

This post is so short but is a very important PSA so let me just leave it here as well.

For anyone who’s struggling to figure out on which sites a BL is airing and whether it’s geolocked in certain regions:

World of BL usually has really good intel

9. What’s a hill you’re willing to die on when it comes to BL? 28 notes - Dec 16 2024

This was day 59 of the 15 Days BL Challenge (the numbers make less and less sense the higher you go).

My hill is a pretty simple one:

Actors don’t owe their fans anything!

10.  What dramatic scene really stuck with you? 28 notes - Nov 30 2024

My final post is day 44 of the 15 Days BL Challenge and it’s about the scene where Sky's getting assaulted by his ex and Prapai comes to his rescue. It’s a really hard scene to watch but at least Gun gets beaten up at the end. Yay!

Created by TumblrTop10

Wish I could check if any of my mutuals haven’t been tagged in this yet because I definitely saw a lot of people do this tag game right around the new year. If we’re mutuals and you haven’t been tagged in this consider yourself tagged!!!

[pinkkop]

Week 3!!!! 🎉🎉

If you missed it last week, I made a post about my setup for compiling and formatting this post every week. It's a little nerdy but I'm really proud of it 😊

QL Recap for Week 3

The 13th of January to the 19th of January

Shows are place in the order of how much I'm enjoying them.

🇹🇭 ThamePo Heart That Skips a Beat

Episode 6 of 13 || Watching on: Youtube, Friday

They just keep being the cutest! I love how sweet and young the romance feels with all the things unsaid between them but them still knowing for sure that they're feeling the same. They're so smitten and it's going to be so hard for them to act normal and stay apart in public. This show might just break my heart and heal it all over again in the future and I'm so ready for it!

🇹🇭 The Heart Killers

Episode 8 of 12 || Watching on: Youtube, Wednesday

This stays such a good show and it was so delicious to see Bison and Fadel's walls slowly start to crumble once again. What I'm really enjoying is the characterization of the characters because they're such clear characters and everything they do fits so perfectly to the character which is just really nice to watch. Like how Fadel was more resigned and with higher walls than Bison who might have come across a lot harder on Kant this episode but was also clearly the one who'd forgive the fastest. Just perfect characters played out so well by four great actors!

🇹🇭 Your Sky

Episode 10 of 12 || Watching on: iQiYi, Sunday

This show just keeps being my happy place! Fah and Rak are the cutest boyfriends and the other two couples are slowly inching the same way. The hurt Rak felt every time his parents assumed he would be dating a girl was so evident and painful to watch. I don't want to trust the preview so I'm assuming they're just defaulting to talking as if his future partner is a girl because they just haven't considered the possibility of it being a boy yet but that they will be happy and accepting when they find out Rak is dating the guy. Rak's parents have been so kind and loving so far, so please let the drama hinted at in the preview be about something other than Fah being a guy.

🇹🇭 Petrichor

Episode 8 of 10 || Watching on: iQiYi, Saturday

Tul's struggle with finding out the truth about her brother worked really well and felt real even if I had no doubt she'd come to her senses. Inaction always feels like the easy way out but Tul's sense of justice would not have let her do nothing even though she needed Run to speed up her decision. This show isn't in brain rot territory but I like it a bunch.

🇹🇭 The Boy Next World

Episode 3 of 10 || Watching on: iQiYi, Sunday

This is all so mysterious! I love that this world's Phu and Cir are into each other already even if Phu maybe doesn't realize it yet. What's certain is that there's something odd about Cir and I can't wait to figure out what it is! Is he from a parallel universe as we are let to believe? Or is he a robot??? 👀

🇹🇭 Perfect 10 Liners

Episode 13 of 24 || Watching on: Youtube, Sunday

Santa absolutely killed it this episode!! It was absolutely heartbreaking to see Gun hurt I'm so happy that he has Fai. Fai was really the MVP in this episode for saving Gun and I loved seeing Gun's friends rallying around him. I'm really glad that Yotha isn't giving up on Gun and even if the bed scene, where Gun thought he was dreaming, was very bittersweet, at least Yotha knows that Gun wants him close. Wa deserves better, that's all I have to say on them.

🇨🇳 I'll Turn Back This Time

Episode 2 of 6 || Watching on: Gagaoolala, Saturday

Damn this show is high drama! The rain, lightning and thunder!! It definitely feels over the top but it's not to the point where I hate it. It feels like the show is true to itself and the main actors are doing a great job and the plot is plotting so after this episode I'm fully on board with this show.

🇹🇭 Sangmin Dinneaw

Episode 4 of 8 || Watching on: iQiYi, Sunday

I'm bracing for an unhappy ending after all the hints about Sangmin having an unknown serious illness. This show keeps being the oddest because I really don't like anything with Pony and the third couple but I'm loving Dinneaw and Sangmin and I'm also invested in the second couple even if they on a rare occasion dips into the insanity that is Pony and the third couple.

🇯🇵 Futtara Doshaburi

Episode 2 of 7 || Watching on: Gagaoolala, Friday

I still can't quite figure out where this show is going but I'm intrigued. This week made me understand the male couple a little more but interestingly it just made me more frustrated because our lead agreed to a non-physical relationship with his partner but then keeps pressuring him to have sex with him. Not cool, my dude!! I do worry a little about where the show is going with him and his current relationship because it could end up saying something interesting about ace/aro things but it could also easily say something wrong or damning about the ace/aro character. Only time will tell! I really need to learn these characters' names, sorry!!

🇹🇼 Eternal Butler

Episode 6 of 12 || Watching on: Gagaoolala, Friday

Still not convinced about a robot being a part of a romantic pairing so I simply don't think this one is for me. I am however apparently invested enough in this show that I probably will keep watching it casually.

That's it for this week!!

For links and airing schedule check out World of BL (Only for BLs)

[pinkkop]

Day 24 - 15 Days BL Challenge (part 2)

Day 24: What Storyline/trope do you enjoy and wish to see more of?

I've always loved when a hurt/traumatized person with low self-esteem and walls as high as a skyscraper meets a loving and kind person who just loves them and supports them.

Would love to see more of that buuuuuut I want to make this even more specific.

What I would love to see more is when those two people have slowly found themselves in a relationship but aren't quite there yet and it's still unspoken between them. Then a third person enters the picture and confidently starts trying to get with the romantic interest. This leaves the hurt character feeling unmoored and like they're not good enough and that the third person would be a better match for the romantic interest and they start pulling back and just become this pitiful wet rag of pure hurt.

I just love this pain soooo much and it just makes it so much more satisfying when they get together.

Think PhumPeem in We Are, which is actually the inspiration for why I'm including this here. It's actually even more specifically this PhumPeem fic which made me realise how much I love this type of trope/plot. The fic just brought the yearning and the hurt to the forefront which made for a delicious read.

The original challenge is here and part two here.

[pinkkop]

I've let my thoughts on Spare Me Your Mercy marinade a little in my brain and I'm now ready to try and put some words to my feelings about this show.

Overall I liked the show and I had a great time watching it. I thought the overall look was great and fit the theme and genre really well. Tor and JJ did really well and the whole cast was really just great.

It was just a really great attempt at more serious BL and it could have been amazing but it just fell short in some very important places.

I don't know if it would have fixed everything but a longer run-time would have done wonders because it would have given them more time to flesh out the plot and the relationships and fix any plot holes.

I'll go into the things I think were missing and my thoughts on them below.

The Missing Connection

A big part of what was missing from the show was more time spent on the relationship between Dr. Kan and Tew because the whole plot really relies on them developing feelings for each and that being a conflict in the murder investigation.

This interview with the screenwriter Lux that @clairedaring posted does make it seem like a longer screen time wouldn't have fixed this entirely since Lux spends a lot time making excuses about why they don't have NC scenes and how that would have detracted from the plot. I think this is absolutely ridiculous because the majority of BL fans would have been entirely happy with the amount of NC scenes we got if they'd just developed the relationship better and spent the right amount of time on the relationship to fit the plot and the emotions needed to make the plot land.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and believe that a longer run-time would have fixed it because otherwise I don't think Lux completely understands how important the relationship development, and any NC scenes needed or hinted at to make that believable, is for the plot.

Deceiving On Screen

A big problem with Dr. Kan and Tew's relationship and it's development on screen is that they were trying to deceive each other for a large part of the series. This makes it really hard to discern as a viewer when the characters are behaving or acting a certain way because of their ulterior motives or when they're doing so because of their actual feelings.

For the characters' real feelings to really come across on screen you need scenes where the characters are expressing their feelings in a situation where they don't need to keep up the ruse. This could be them alone reflecting on or reacting to the person, or conversations with people they are close enough with that they'll share some of their real feelings.

This is something that The Heart Killers has actually done a lot better than SMYM. Like Fadel's masturbation scene or the conversations between Fadel and Bison and between Kant and Style. They desperately needed more scenes like that in SMYM because it would have made it a lot clearer what Dr. Kan and Tew were thinking and feeling when it came to their relationship, because honestly, most of the time, I wasn't sure.

The Ending

I was very worried about the ending, especially towards the end, and it did end up frustrating me, but I think it weirdly fit the show because it was realistic, when Dr. Kan and Tew's relationship hadn't really been given a proper chance to develop or deepen.

Like with their surface level relationship(?) it makes sense that Tew would still try to arrest Dr. Kan even with all the reasons Dr. Kan gave for his actions.

It also helps that I understand the ending as being a little open. Like if you ask me, we never know for sure whether Tew actually brought Dr. Kan all the way to the station or not.

No matter what though it feels like a weird message to send after the show spent so much time advocating for euthanasia, but I guess they couldn't ignore that it's still illegal ... or something.

Again if they'd just spent more time developing the relationship and maybe even allowed Tew time to digest what Dr. Kan has been doing then it would have made more sense for Tew to not arrest Dr. Kan.

Like I would have even been happy for Tew to go back to Bangkok because he didn't want to arrest Dr. Kan but he still couldn't stay, knowing what Dr. Kan and Nurse Ohn were doing.

Then they could have given us a second season of Dr. Kan and Tew separately working towards making euthanasia legal in their own ways and then their ways could have crossed again and finally they would be in a place where they could be together!!

If I had any writing skills and the time I would be writing this canon divergence fic as we speak. Anyone's welcome to give it a go though!

Euthanasia

The one thing I think the show succeeded at, was showing exactly the good that euthanasia can do when it comes to terminally ill patients which also seems to be the most important point for Lux.

It felt like a weird side note though, when Dr. Kan euthanized Boss, and I've seen some people talk about how this feels like an ableist comment from the show. I don't necessarily believe that that's the case, I mostly just think this was another place where the show suffered from having only 8 episodes.

It makes sense that Boss had to die for plot reasons but I just wish they'd commented on it.

As I talked about in my previous post I think it was a risky choice to make to euthanize a disabled person without commenting on the act, especially since there's such a large difference between euthanizing a terminally ill patient and a disabled person.

With all this being said I still don't regret spending the time I did on following along with this show and posting about it. I had a good time doing so, I just hope that we can get a similarly more serious and crime related show in the future.

And in the mean time I just hope Petrichor the series turns out better.

[pinkkop]

Day 17 - 15 Days BL Challenge (part 2)

Day 17: What's your most returned-to / comfort BL show?

Every day, all day HIStory3: Make Our Days Count!!!

It's by far the one I've re-watched the most and I keep coming back to it. One of these days I'll get around to make a post on why it is that I love it so much and why more people should watch it.

This show is just so warm and hopeful while still not shying away from the truths about being queer in Taiwan. It's funny and charming and all the characters feels multidimensional and complicated in a way that feels real and makes for a satisfying watch.

I also just love all the relationships the show has: the friend group who might not be the brightest but they've got the spirit, the siblings who bicker in just the right sibling way but still have each others' back and the best friends who are the perfect example of "dumb of ass, bi of sexual". They're young, impulsive, and horny, but are also ready to fight for their best friend.

Both couples also have fire chemistry and both have so much casual physical intimacy, especially after they get together, which we rarely get in BLs. Like it's so clear that these characters love each other.

And finally the NC scenes are absolutely fantastic for both pairings! So it's fair to say that with all that combined you get a fantastic show which I'll return to again and again.

It frustrates me so much when people reduce the show to it's ending because the rest of the show is just such a gem.

The original challenge is here and part two here.

Also thank you, @0ffgun, for making so many beautiful GIFs for this show!

[pinkkop]

Day 19 - 15 Days BL Challenge (part 2)

Day 19: If you could turn any Non-BL show into a BL, which would you choose?

I'm gonna ignore that the prompt is BL specific and go GL instead and say...

Jeong Nyeon: The Star is Born.

It's a South Korean historical drama about an entirely female theater troupe, that's currently airing.

It's based on a GL manhwa but the talk around town right from the beginning was that any romance story line had been removed, which sounds about right since apparently the character who's the main character's romantic interest has also been removed.

There are still tons of queer undertones in it but since it's still airing we don't know yet if any overt queer romance will happen.

So if I could I'd give it 12 more episodes and all the queer romance and gender fuckery of the manhwa I would do it in a heart beat.

Even with the knowledge that it's not likely to include a queer romance it's still a show that I'd highly recommend. It's funny, charming, heartwarming and has great acting and high production quality.

And it stars Kim Tae Ri as the main character (The Handmaiden anyone?? 👀)

The original challenge is here and part two here.

[pinkkop]

It's been 2 weeks since Love Class 2 ended and I can't stop thinking about it. So I am here to tell you why I liked it soooo much in the hopes that maybe more people will give it a chance.

First off: You don't need to watch the first season before you watch Love Class 2.

The full main cast consists of new characters that weren't in the first season and the main connecting point between the two seasons is the Love Class which is a university course called "Marriage and Family". The class is used in both seasons as a tool to push two characters together and make them spend time together. The way the class works is by pairing the students up and then have them pretend to "date" while writing assignments related to their "dating" (whether this is a real class I am unsure but the same concept is used in the Korean GL "Girlfriend Project Day 1" so it might be a Korean thing *shrugs*). I already really liked how this concept was used in the first season and the second season utilizes it just as well and actually takes a different approach to this so it doesn't feel like the show is just repeating itself.

The basics:

Love Class 2 is a Korean BL with 10 episodes of 30 min-ish each. It has three couples and even if it's short compared to Thai BLs it made good use of the time it was given.

The three couples are all connected but have very different plot lines and dynamics. The couples are as follow:

1. Reunion/mystery past (goes a little dark but no-one gets hurt). Kim An was Lee Hyun's tutor while Lee Hyun was in high school but one day Kim An dissappeared. Two years later they are reunited at university but they've both changed a lot in those two years, Kim An more so. Finally meeting Kim An again, Lee Hyun re-inserts himself in Kim An's life through the Love Class. This turns out to be easier said than done since Kim An's past keeps a tight hold off him.

2. Friends to Lovers /Unrequited Love but not really

Minwoo has liked Maru for so long and has finally resigned himself to his feelings never being returned which makes it so much more frustrating when Maru is always there in his life.

3. Meet-cute / Strangers to Lovers

TA Kim Sungmin and senior student Yoo Joohyuk meet in the most awkward situation (for Sungmin that is 😅). In the aftermath Joohyuk makes it his mission to get Sungmin's attention.

Things I really like about the show:

Great chemistry with all three couples

Interesting plot and good storytelling

Some amazing kisses and believable physical intimacy

Interesting and funny dynamics between the characters, both inside and outside their pairings

Satisfying confessions and resolution for the couples (let's be real, I've watched one of the confession scenes an embarrassing number of times)

The story isn't told 100% chronologically and you aren't told all the facts from the beginning. I'm personally a big fan of this kinda storytelling and I think they do a really good job of unveiling the mystery and developing the relationships.

Final thoughts:

This show manages to both be wholesome, funny, dark, soft and sensual, and with a great ensemble of characters and couples. I really liked all three couples and even if the couples had very different plot lines this still felt like one show.

I've already watched it twice and I think it's definitely a show I'll come back to again which is a testament to how much I like this show.

If you aren't convinces yet here are some GIFS to set the mood!

(also @save-the-data is a God sent gift with all the amazing GIFs of the show. Hope it's okay that I basically plastered my post with your GIFs)

[pinkkop]

Why I wanted more from Pai -

Cherry Magic Thailand

I'm absolutely loving Cherry Magic Th!!

I love how Tay and New are creating a new version of Adachi and Kurosawa and giving this lovely story a fresh take.

However, I'm struggling with Pai and Rock's story, because as much as I think they're very cute, it's hard for me to ignore the characters they're based on. Specifically the character of Fujisaki from the original Cherry Magic series, which Pai seems to be based on, who in the Japanese version is perfectly happy being single and doesn't want a partner. So why are GMMTV insisting on giving her Thai counterpart one?!

Fujisaki was great representation for aro and ace people while also just being a good example that you don't need to be in a relationship to be happy.

Stills from the original Cherry Magic.

Being in a romantic relationship isn't the end all and be all and it's such a rare thing for QLs to show characters just being happy on their own. Instead they have to give everyone a romantic relationship like they're some kind of Asian Oprah.

Don't get me wrong!

I'm often watching QLs for the romantic relationships but sometimes I just wish they didn't have to pair up everyone. "Pair the spare" isn't a good motto to make shows by and I wish less QLs would do so and the character of Pai was the perfect oppotunity for GMMTV to start.

I desperately hoped Pai was going to be representation for people who live outside of social norms but with the latest episode (ep. 11) it doesn't seem like this will be the case. And as an ace person who will probably never find a partner, it honestly hurt to see GMMTV not include that part of Fujisaki's character when they created the character of Pai.

I still have a teeny tiny glimmer of hope left but with how much time the show has spent showing how much Rock adores Pai and how Pai wants a romantic relationship I doubt they'll have Pai break Rock's heart in the final episode(s?).

[pinkkop]

The The Sign NC scene is living rent free in my brain and I keep thinking of new reasons why it's just so good. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to share my thoughts so here is my list of all the things I love about the scene. I'll do it in order of when each thing happens in the scene and sprinkle in some GIFs so you get a front row seat to my decent into madness.

Here we go...

The intense eye fucking before Phaya gave in and rushed to Tharn cause he just couldn't wait any longer to get his hands on Tharn.

Tharn finally living out his fantasy of being manhandled and boxed in by Phaya, because you know ya boy had been fantasising about this for so long by this point.

Phaya trying to kiss Tharn's forehead because one thing we know about Phaya is that he's going to ask "Is anyone going to kiss Tharn's forehead?" and then not wait for an answer.

When Phaya kisses Tharn after the bj as if he was dying of thirst and Tharn was a glass of water.

When Phaya pulled Tharn's head forward by his hair and proceeded to devour Tharn's earlobe while Tharn was clearly completely lost in the sauce and enjoying every moment of it.

The subtle but clear nod from Tharn when they're on the bed, which seemed to be consent for something (who said consent wasn't sexy?!?) though we can only guess what Phaya asked. My two cents are that it was something related to the following act, so maybe Phaya asked whether Tharn wanted it, whether he was okay or if he was ready, assuming that Phaya had already started prepping him 🤯

Phaya's hand on Tharn's hip just slowly and gently caressing in the most loving way because if Tharn's fantasy was the manhandling, the loving touches were Phaya's.

Tharn's face when, what I assume is, the initial entrance happens... Or maybe the result of some extra pleasurable moves by Phaya 🥵

Phaya and his single minded focus on Tharn. Phaya is clealy living his best life and is 100% devoted to making sure Tharn also has the best time.

The eye contact, just to hammer home that this isn't just a one night stand with no feelings involved.

Tharn biting his own finger...

The mirrors, resulting in the most gorgeous shot while also showcasing them and their faces better.

The very satisfied Phaya kissing Tharn on the shoulder and then tucking him in while Tharn is completely dead to the world. I too would have been very satisfied if this was me and my partner 😆

Also just the lighting, editing, and camera work made this scene so pretty and a joy to watch. Paired with Billy and Babe's amazing chemistry and acting, this NC scene has got to be a good candidate for best NC scenes of 2024.

You know what I would love for a future episode, even if I don't think we're getting it?! Another scene where Tharn is feeling himself while his mind wanders, because now he has the memory of the NC scene as fuel instead of just his fantasy.

Anyways... It's fair to say that this show has a tight hold on me and I can't wait for this week's episode (only 5 days to go!!!).

I am a little worried about the next episode since the preview looked very intense. Also Babe legit started tearing up when they watched the preview at the end of their reaction video, so it's probably going to be an intense episode. I fear we'll be left in shambles and have to spend next week picking up the pieces but I trust the show to tell a good story so I have no doubt that I'll love the suffering.

If anyone needs me until then I'll be in horny jail 😅

[pinkkop]

Love Class 2 was really good and actually better than the first season.

It was an interesting plot, good actors, great chemistry between the couples and some pretty good intimate scenes, especially for a Korean BL. Some great kisses for sure!

Would recommend and you really don't need to watch the first season first since the couples and characters are different between them.

Surprisingly the last episode felt a lot like a special episode in a Thai drama which I'm definitely not complaining about. They could have definitely have used more time for certain plotlines but they didn't need the extra episode for it and it was really nice to just see them be domestic.