#asian ql ask game

[lurkingshan]

Asian QL Ask Game

What was your first ever Asian ql?

What was the Asian ql that got you to join fandom?

Who was your first Asian ql blorbo?

Who is your ultimate Asian ql blorbo?

Who is the Asian ql villain you most love to hate?

Who is the Asian ql villain you actually just hate?

Who is your favorite friend character in Asian ql?

Which Asian ql character do you think is most misunderstood?

Which Asian ql couple do you think is overrated?

Which Asian ql couple do you think is under appreciated?

Which Asian country's bl is usually your favorite?

Which Asian country's bl do you want to watch more of?

Which Asian ql tropes get you every time?

Which Asian ql tropes do you want to send to the trash heap?

If you could banish one story setting from Asian ql, which would it be?

If you could remake one Asian ql, which would it be and how would you change it?

What Asian ql would you like to see adapted by another country, and which country?

You get to pick a side character from two different qls to put in a show as a main pairing--who are you choosing and what kind of story is it?

You have the chance to switch pairings in one Asian ql so that the sides become the main pairing and the mains get reduced to crumbs--which show are you choosing?

We are retelling your favorite Asian ql from the POV of a side character--who is taking over the story and what do they have to say about the mains?

The universe grants you a one time only wish to make your chosen Asian ql go on forever. Which show do you want to watch until you die?

[bengiyo]

Hello. Hope you're having a good day so far.

for the Asian QL Ask Game - 17 please. Thanks Rose💜

17. What Asian ql would you like to see adapted by another country, and which country?

I kinda wanna see Thailand tackle Two People Who Can't Fall in Love, aka Koisenu Futari.

I'd like to see Japan tackle Light On Me

I'd like to see the Philippines tackle I Told Sunset About You

I'd like to see Korea do Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But To Kiss!

Since they have marriage equality now, I'd like to see a Thai take on Papa & Daddy.

I'd like to see Taiwan tackle Jack o' Frost.

For the Asian QL Ask Game

[neuroticbookworm]

5, 14, 20

5. Who is the Asian ql villain you most love to hate?

My hatred for Jai from I Promised You The Moon is well documented, as I had immense fun tearing that snake apart on The Conversation Pod’s IPYTM episode. I love to hate him because he is an extremely effective villain. He read Teh like a book (which Teh fucking handed over to him, the goddamned idiot), and he played Teh exactly how he wants, to get what he wanted. Jai is competent, nuanced and completely evil, and hence so fun to analyze and hate.

14. Which Asian ql tropes do you want to send to the trash heap?

Nothing pisses me off more than a nonsensical miscommunication solely used to drive to plot forward, but I want to talk about another trope that has been on my mind recently: I’m not gay, I only like *insert name here*. The trope has always made me uncomfortable because it feels like, with this statement, the character is excusing themselves of their queerness. And it also places an intense pressure on their romantic interest. I recently watched this trope deftly tackled in Toyko In April Is... where Ryunosuke, a queer man, reacts to Kazuma’s "I don't care about gender, I only love Ren" declaration with a look of utter disdain. He knows what a cop-out that statement is, and he is thoroughly unimpressed by the projected romanticism of it. That whole interaction between Kazuma and Ryunosuke is one of my favorite scenes ever, and @bengiyo wrote about it in detail, here.

This trope can stick around if ql shows use it to explore how the supposed exclusivity of queer romantic interest hurts everyone involved, and how it is detrimental to the queer community as a whole. Otherwise, off to the trash heap!

20. We are retelling your favorite Asian ql from the POV of a side character--who is taking over the story and what do they have to say about the mains?

I already answered this once, here, but I’mma have another go at it.

I’m gonna cheat a little bit and name a ql main character whose POV, I think, would give us a different but equally engaging perspective to the romance that we originally got to see: Kiyoi from Utsukushii Kare.

The primary thought I had in my head while watching Utsukushii Kare was “Hira, what the fuck?!”. The way he coped with his crush on Kiyoi throughout the show could best be described as “utter chaos”. I would love to see an alternate POV from Kiyoi as he tries to make sense of Hira’s actions, while also grappling with his own feelings.

For Asian QL Ask Game by @lurkingshan

[twig-tea]

3 and 19

3. Who was your first asian QL blorbo?

How far back do I want to dig for this question? Ok two answers:

The first character I remember really connecting with that is in an established, canon QL (and I'm not counting Sailor Moon because that show is queer AF but the main romance is ostensibly het) is Misono from Himitsu no Hanazono (The Secret Garden). This is a classic Yuri manga from 1999; I bought a copy in 2003 and it survived all of my purges.

Misono is a runner who has chronic pain but is training through it to make her parents proud; while taking a break she ends up being comforted by a gorgeous prince (...) named Sakuya who she of course falls for. They end up at a ball together for Reasons, and the prince reveals a secret--by placing Misono's hand on her chest. Anyway the villain girl slams into the room to say that Misono couldn't be in love with the prince because he's a woman and we see Misono, wrapped only in a sheet, respond with something along the lines of "I'm fully aware, thanks".

In other words, my love of characters who are down to fuck early and often started young. The story does not bend to modern demands for clear delineation--is Sakuya trans, hiding her identity, or just butch? Is Misono a lesbian, or bi/pansexual? Who's to say for certain--but it is clearly queer, and Misono is a sweetheart who is not phased by the femme fatale.

The first live action character I decided I'd defend to the death was Noh in LoveSick. Earnest, talented, responsible, loves music, trying his best, and trying not to burden anyone else....yeah I still love this character.

19. You have the chance to switch pairings in one Asian QL so that the sides become the main pairing and the mains get reduced to crumbs--which show are you choosing?

This was a hard one! I wouldn't want to do this with a show I fully didn't like but I also wouldn't want to mess with a fave, and I'm not counting het shows with gay side characters e.g. Love is Science because that's not a QL. If we're essentially creating a Between Us to an UWMA situation, where the original is still there and the new show augments the side couple. In which case I'm going with Hosaka and Amamiya in Kimi ni wa todokonai / I Cannot Reach You, assuming the vibes we were all getting are correct, I want the story of their established friends-to-lovers relationship that then inspires them to be love consultants for their friend they see struggling.

But I think that's cheating and I have to actually choose an established side couple to take over from the main couple so their story is barely told. In which case, the first one that came to mind is Love Stage!!

The main couple in this show was a bit overwrought for my taste, and I'd probably have liked their story better as something we check in on occasionally; instead, give me this older couple's story of dealing with getting together while being an agent and celebrity; the negotiations about their relationship, navigating being in the public eye while secretly dating, keeping things from the family, and of course dealing with his younger brother's drama while still making time for his own relationship [I used the Thai drama here, but I'd be open to a Thai or a Japanese version like this].

Asian QL Ask Game

[wen-kexing-apologist]

4, 13, 18

4. Who is your ultimate Asian ql blorbo?

For those of you who consider Word of Honor a BL (which I do because of the original content) look no further than my user name for the most obvious response to this: Wen Kexing is my ride or die. That’s my sweet, murderous, summer child, and he has never done a single thing wrong in his life. 

For those of you who don’t consider Word of Honor a BL, I think I will have to give it to the wonderful, the marvelous…

Daisy from Secret Crush on You. 

I haven’t watched this show in awhile, but if there is one character who comes across my dashboard who I am immediately overcome with joy to see, it’s this lovely young woman right here. She’s just the sweetest person and I want nothing but happiness for her. 

13. Which Asian ql tropes get you every time?

Pinky touches, underwater kisses, any and all Happy!Sad boys, characters being asked “are you tired?”, food as love, characters being comforted in the midst of a nightmare, “I’m sorry I like you/boys/girls”, etc, etc, etc.

18. You get to pick a side character from two different qls to put in a show as a main pairing--who are you choosing and what kind of story is it?

Oh this is a fascinating question! Hear me out:

Archie from Marahuyo Project and Bas from I Told Sunset About You and I Promised You the Moon. 

If you know me, you know I love complicated characters who are good at heart and you know I love angst. So hear me out. Archie, my dear sweet boy, struggling incredibly hard with his own sexuality after the loss of a friend has a reasonably paced arc throughout Marahuyo Project where he is unable to come out by the end of the story, but he does help the Sea Creatures conduct their Pride parade by throwing rainbow confetti, so he’s starting to get a little braver. But it took the very patient and understanding love and support from Venice to get Archie to even move an inch. I think he might need someone like that to help him step back in to himself more fully. Bas is, as we know, that kind of person, and he respects himself enough to not get pushed around more than he can bear. He is very forgiving of Oh’Aew when they are together, but it comes to a point where he gives Oh up because he knows that Teh has a stronghold on him. 

If I made them a main pairing together, it would be one of those angsty but healing shows that digs in to the harsh realities of existing in a homophobic society, Archie’s internalized homophobia and grief, and how meeting someone like Bas helps him come into himself more. Archie gets love and support and Bas gets someone that won’t drop him every other day to run back to Teh. 

Asian QL Ask Game

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

asian ql ask game #7 & 18 please?

Hello my dear.

7. Who is your favorite friend character in Asian ql?

This is an impossible one. I mean truly. There are so many I love. But because yesterday I did a rewatch I'm gonna go with him.

Hosaka Yui from I Cannot Reach You. He worked so hard to get those two together. Where would those boys be without him?

18.You get to pick a side character from two different qls to put in a show as a main pairing--who are you choosing and what kind of story is it?

Ok. this might sound really weird but for some reason it just came to me. Party (The Promise) and Max (Be My Favourite). I don't even know what kind of show it would be but I want Party to be happy and Max is a good egg. But I'm picturing a rebound situation where Party walks into Max's cafe drunk from heartbreak and Max is not amused at first but them something something and they fall in love. That's all I got.

Thanks for the questions💜

Asian QL Ask Game

[yannig]

6, 12, 16

Thanks for the ask <3

6. Who is the Asian ql villain you actually just hate?

I'm not too sure where to draw the line between villain I love to hate and villain I actually hate, tbh.

The bad guy from Laws of Attraction? I'm sure he has a name, I just don't care. So happy he died in prison so everyone can heal without his bad influence!

Or Way from Pit Babe. I know he isn't supposed to be a villain but just. I hate what they did with his character.

I was ready to try and forgive him despite everything, and you have to work to make me forgive SA, because clearly that's where they were going. So I was like, trying to stay open. I was invested, I wanted to see where they would take his redemption, because.

But no, they had to pull up all the tropes I hate the most, and finished it with a fucking sacrifice-death-because-what-he-did-was-too-bad-to-be-forgiven-but-we-still-don't-want-the-audience-to-hate-him-and-you-can't-speak-badly-of-the-dead-especially-when-they-died-for-you, topped with the worst dying speech ever.

I hope he stays dead. I know he's going to come back in season 2 but I really hope he stays dead. Just so they won't destroy him even more.

12. Which Asian country's bl do you want to watch more of?

Definitely Taiwan. I've only watched Kiseki: Dear to me at this point and I really liked it. And I've heard a lot of good things about Taiwanese ql, so I've got a few on my watch-list.

Problem is: the ones I do have in my watch-list are very much the roller-coaster of emotions kind of stories, and I'm too busy currently. When I do have the time to watch ql I don't have the energy to watch shows that are going to make me stress for the entire run-time and make me cry every episode. So I'm afraid Taiwan is gonna have to wait for me to finish my master thesis before I actually get into it.

16. If you could remake one Asian ql, which would it be and how would you change it?

I think Color Rush actually. Which is funny because I didn't really like it. And part of it is just that I don't really vibe with the really clean Korean style.

But mostly I remembered finishing it like "what the hell did I just watch?" and I've thought about why I got that feeling, and I'm pretty sure it's the world-building.

Because the show is never clear if Mono are actually dangerous or if it's all just discriminatory stereotypes, and both options give widely different flavors to the story. And I'd be fine with both, I just need the show to pick a lane.

I think I'd go with the "Mono are dangerous but this one still mine and you will not take him away from me" route because the co-dependency was fun in this show (and because I've read a fic that did a really good job of it) and I like me a well-written toxic but mutual co-dependent relationship. Also gives space for a more nuanced take on discrimination than just the usual "they're not dangerous it's all just stereotypes".

(and, you know, give it a bit more run-time too)

[ririnya7]

Asian QL Ask Game

Thanks to @lurkingshan for creating this fun game!!!

7. Who is your favorite friend character in Asian ql?

Pharm from Between Us and UWMA

Pharm is friend shaped in every universe. We don't see it as much in UWMA (for obvious reasons) but in Between Us he really shines as the friend character. He's always supportive of Team and his decisions, never judges him and he gently guides him towards answers whenever Team needs it. And all that while he has the worst/best semester ever.

Honourable Mention: The Eighth Sense, Semantic Error

13. Which Asian ql tropes get you every time?

Give me these tropes and I'll worship the ground you walk forever

A. "Only one bed"

B. Sunshine Vs Moody character

C. Injury tending

yes they're overused and I eat it up each time

19. You have the chance to switch pairings in one Asian ql so that the sides become the main pairing and the mains get reduced to crumbs--which show are you choosing?

Oh I know the answer to this one 🤧

ChenYi and AiDi from Kiseki: Dear To Me because I couldn't really get behind the main couple, their story wasn't my thing and I was more curious to see the second couple's chemistry and storyline evolve.

I mean.. can you blame me? 🫣

[bl-recs-and-reviews]

2, 10 for the ask game

Again sorry for the long wait, and thank you for the ask!

2. What was the Asian QL that got you to join fandom?

I have been a lurker for the longest time. I think I started reblogging gifs and stuff very late in the game. I think overall it was just the shift of the year 2020, that motivated me to participate in fandom. Suddenly we had shows from korean and the philipines too, and Thai shows felt like they were finally becoming more solid. Seeing thai shows make it to the nº1 trending and have so much people enter the fandom made me want to participate in it too. That's when I made this blog :) I'm still pretty shy but it's been fun!

As a final answer I'd say a mix of Gameboys, 2gether, My Engineer, Mr Heart, UWMA and Gaya Sa Pelikula.

10. Which Asian ql couple do you think is under appreciated?

Since I got this twice I'll chose another couple 😎

This time I'm gonna talk about Mitsuo and Mitsuo from Double Mints

The unhingedness of the two of them. The premise of the story. Just the whole idea behind their story. I find everything fascinating. Also, because it's based on one of my favorite Asumiko Nakamura manga. I just really like this idea that they're literally halfs of a whole, and I don't think a lot of people have seen this movie. Or if they have, not a lot of people talk about them

ask game

[blue-grama]

For the Asian QL ask game - 4, 10, 19? 💗

Sorry I'm sloowwwwww

4. Who is your ultimate ql blorbo?

*indecision noises* okay, there are characters I really like and to some extent identify with (Nozue from Old Fashion Cupcake, Jim from Moonlight Chicken, yes I am old), but for pure fun, brain-goes-brr I gotta say

It's the creepy smiles, what can I say.

10. Which Asian ql couple do you think is underappreciated? I don't think they're UNappreciated, but Bai Zongyi and Fan Zerui in Kiseki: Dear to Me. Reasonably enough, everyone went feral for Ai Di and Chen Yi, but I'm not gonna lie, I still preferred the lead couple! Zongyi doesn't have the murder-kitten attitude of Ai Di, but when he told off Zerui's grandpa?? Pure badassery from the strawberry cake guy. And sure, Chen Yi and Ai Di can pine, but Zongyi's pining came with a side of faked amnesia, which, perfect, no notes, I am all-in. Really, what I'm saying here is that everyone's a winner. 19. You have the chance to switch pairings in one Asian ql so that the sides become the main pairing and the mains get reduced to crumbs--which show are you choosing? I've a little bit dropped this show, so this may be an unfair answer, but I'm demoting Wan and Kim from My Marvellous Dream is You and promoting Toon and Minne (Silvy and Mint). Is this because I am a Silvy fangirl? Yes. Obviously. But I'm also not sold on Fay's acting and I like the idea of a show centering around the put-upon manager of a hot-mess celebrity more than the other way around.

[lurkingshan]

8 and 13 for the Asian QL Ask Game 👀

Hello, thanks for playing! Let's see about these questions.

8. Which Asian ql character do you think is most misunderstood?

I talked about Wedding Plan Sailom already in this category, so I think next I will discuss Teh from ITSAY/IPYTM. There are still people to this very day who want to see Teh as a devoted simp and claim he was out of character when he cheated in IPYTM. And I have never understood that, or the instinct to take such a beautiful complicated train wreck of a character and try to reduce him down to basic romance tropes. Teh is a brilliant, selfish, petty, talented, obsessive, narcissistic, compelling, intense as all hell mess, and this is extremely consistent across both shows. He loves Oh to the point of insanity, but he is also prone to bouts of temporary obsession with other people and things. Of course he would cheat, he was established as a cheater from the start! The only difference is that when he cheated with Oh-aew on a girl in the first series, nobody cared.

13. Which Asian ql tropes get you every time?

I tend to find most tropes pretty groan worthy, but I am a sucker for a good back hug. Which is one of the reasons I love these two, because they are basically the back hug kings of bl.

[bengiyo]

no 8 for the ql ask please <3

8. Which Asian ql character do you think is most misunderstood?

I think today I want to talk about Woo Tae Kyung.

This boy is in charge the entire time. I often find that the audience projects an asymmetric lens onto the BL boys, and really struggle when that doesn't exactly work. I was going to talk about Namnuea being a fully-actualized human being in Wedding Plan, Korn suffering from crippling homophobia in UWMA, or how most of the Taiwanese boys don't have this.

However, I think in our discussions about what Woo Tae Kyung's suitors needed to do to make sure they were worthy of him we often miss that he had full authority to make that choice the entire time. I think it's his extreme agency as the player insert from the game adaptation that makes his potential partners act right the whole time. He's literally stronger than them.

Because Woo Tae Kyung gets to make the choice without any potential of it being forced on him, I think all of the boys have to make sure they work together to understand what he wants and how he wants to be cared for. This is refreshing because there's a lot of "the seme will know what the uke wants because gay magic" that bores me in BL.

Woo Tae Kyung is far stronger and more actualized than I think we give him credit for.

For the Asian QL Ask Game

[neuroticbookworm]

18, 19, 20

18. You get to pick a side character from two different qls to put in a show as a main pairing--who are you choosing and what kind of story is it?

Pai from Cherry Magic Thailand – meet Yako from Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna Season 2.

Pai, fresh off her breakup from Rock (we all know that’s not gonna last), travels to Japan to get away from it all for a while and meets Yako while waiting in line at a food truck. I want to watch a show where they travel together, eat some delicious food and drink some exquisite wine, watch movies, and swap stories about their friends and their dramatic love affairs. I want to see Pai let go of any anxieties over her identity that may have arisen after her relationship and subsequent breakup. I’ll take 10 episodes of this show, please and thank you.

19. You have the chance to switch pairings in one Asian ql so that the sides become the main pairing and the mains get reduced to crumbs--which show are you choosing?

Mm I had to think on this one, but it came down to two options: Fire and Dynamite from Cooking Crush, and Saengtien and Lomfon from La Pluie. Both of these side couples had a solid storyline that could be explored further if they got to be the mains. But ultimately, I choose Fire and Dynamite because I would like to see more of Fire’s relationship with his mom and how he learns to carve a life out for himself outside of her control, as he falls for Dy. Also I want to see more of Dynamite, my beloved sassy son.

20. We are retelling your favorite Asian ql from the POV of a side character--who is taking over the story and what do they have to say about the mains?

Hosaka from I Cannot Reach You! There’s probably a lot more of his signature snark going on in his head and I want to hear every single word of it.

Asian QL Ask Game

[twig-tea]

2, 11, 18

Coming back to this a week late because I could NOT make a decision, I remain forever on brand.

2. What was the Asian QL that got you to join fandom?

The one that got me writing meta on tumblr was La Pluie, thanks to the efforts of you and @lurkingshan. It was an effective campaign and I'm grateful you waged it!

8. Which Asian QL character is most misunderstood?

I had such a hard time choosing who to write about, this is the one that I kept deleting and rewritng. Patts in La Pluie comes to mind as a man who was pushed to the brink. Sailom from Wedding Plan is definitely one that stands out for me because I was in the camp that misunderstood him until Lom's full situation and Nuea's background came out and we got to see just how intensely the power dynamic between him and Namnuea was actually not in Lom's favour after all; and then he gave one of the best apologies in BL and won me over fully. I've also written before about how Noh from Secret Crush on You seems to skirt by without being understood as the freak4freak he is. I thought about writing about The Eclipse, but I think that entire show is misunderstood to be honest. What a waffle-y answer, but the short version is: Any character who makes an in-character, narrative-justified mistake. I like it when characters aren't perfect. Anyway since I started this draft, I've binged Miracle of Teddy Bear and now think the answer is Tofu. Both main characters are not understood, but Tofu in particular has been mischaracterized and his agency undermined. Working on a bigger post about this.

11. Which Asian country's BL is usually your favourite?

I have favourite BLs from all countries and origin isn't a guarantee I"ll like or dislike any particular show. In terms of percentage, I tend to love a greater ratio of Japanese BLs, some of that being due to manga and anime being my entry point into Asian queer media. But my favourite series is Thai (UWMA), and I have a real soft spot for Pinoy BL (Gaya Sa Pelikula and more recently Marahuyo Project rewired my brain) and Vietnamese BL (Hey! First Love) too, and two of my favourite comfort series are Korean (Our Dating Sim) and Taiwanese (History 2: Crossing the Line). There just tend to be fewer misses for me from Japan in relation to the number of hits, and by hard numbers the majority of my favourites are from Japan. If we're talking GL though, Korea currently reigns in this category (with of course entries from everywhere, because I can never actually pick a fave).

[wen-kexing-apologist]

9, 15, 20

Ah Shan, my favorite hater, thank you for giving me this opportunity to get myself in trouble 

9. Which Asian ql couple do you think is overrated?

Every single one of ForceBook’s couples, sorry to those who love them, but I just…have not been convinced by any of their pairings. Cher and Gun got the closest but fumbled the bag at the end. 

15. If you could banish one story setting from Asian ql, which would it be?

When we say banish are we talking about all Asian QLs that already exist in that setting go away or that they are not allowed to make any more Asian QLs moving forward. 

If it is the latter: high school. There are some that are very very incredibly well done, but I am looking for more adult stories at this point and I think BL/QL writers are starting to rely too heavily on the high school BL structure for non-high school settings. I think it is time to let it go. 

But if it is the former…a little bit of a dicey area around definition but I don’t want settings in police or other law enforcement settings. Dicey only because, like, what fall under that blanket? I’d say shows like The Sign where the main characters are all cops counts but shows like Manner of Death where there is a prominent cop character, but the main characters are not, does not. Is that me being extremely picky because Sammon is one of the stronger writers in Thai BL and I don’t want her work disappearing….maybe so.

20. We are retelling your favorite Asian ql from the POV of a side character--who is taking over the story and what do they have to say about the mains?

gif by @thii-nii

Oh my god, I think it would be absolutely hysterical to get an I Told Sunset About You story that is just Tan and Bas drinking together in a bar and talking shit about those dramatic ass boys we all know and love. 

Asian QL Ask Game

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

4, 11, 19

4. Who is your ultimate Asian ql blorbo?

So my ultimate is the same as yours. This is the most beautiul gif I ever did and will never make another like it. Because there's only one of him.

But just to give you something different there's another one that it's been just stuck in my brain for like a month now.

Beautiful Hayama. That smiled killed me and I've been there ever since.

11. Which Asian country's bl is usually your favorite?

This is a tough one. But I gotta go with Japan. There's just something about it. I don't know what it is.

19. You have the chance to switch pairings in one Asian ql so that the sides become the main pairing and the mains get reduced to crumbs--which show are you choosing?

This is really though. I've been thinking about this one since you answered because I'm usually a main couple girlie. And I do think RamKing take the cake on this by comparison to the main if nothing else. I also really agree @bengiyo answer here to this one because I really needed more from Ray/Ah Jian.

And although I don't know that I'd need a whole show for them, and please no one come for me on this, the last time I remember watching a show only for the sides only was Middleman's Love, for Tong and Gus. And they were crumbs if for no other reason that they didn't even make it to the cut version for the most part. I really enjoyed them and I wish we had more time so that this could've been a slower burn and the whole background of the characters could be more fleshed out. And I thought they had really good chemistry.

Thanks for the question💜

Asian QL Ask Game