#i feel like i'm much more tinn

[earthfluuke]

i got gun...which i did not expect.

for those who have missed my quizzes, for those who want to know which one of the four msp characters they are, and for everyone else who wants to take this quiz for one reason or another - have fun with it <3

[iguessitsjustme]

This just in: I am NOT okay.

[everythingiguess]

I know I say this every Friday but I love My School President so much.

In today's episode I love how at first we see Tinn still doing the whole thing about trying to help Chinzhilla, and do anything it takes for them to win Hot Wave in order to date Gun. In this episode that thing is convincing Sound to join the music club. However, after the situation with Sound and Tiwson letting Tinn know that it could be his opportunity to spend more time with Gun and date him, Tinn then focuses more on his feelings towards Gun.

I totally understand that you can get carried away by your feelings, especially if it’s regarding someone you have a crush on. Sometimes you don’t pay attention to other things because of that and I believe that’s what happened to Tinn only to some extent. After all, we see him trying to include Gun in the student council and their activities many times by offering him a space where he can do something he loves, which is music. What I loved very much about this situation was how in the end Tinn realized what music and Chinzhilla mean to Gun, and he understood that even though what he was doing for Gun was sincere and well-intentioned, it wasn’t exactly what made Gun happy. We’ve seen that Gun finds a home in Chinzhilla, a place where he belongs with people he loves, and clearly, even if he kept playing music and singing in the student council, his place is in the music club.

That is how Tinn realizes that the best thing he can do for him in this situation is to support him and encourage him, and that also comes from his feelings towards Gun, which are very sincere. His feelings are genuine and it shows in the way he cares about Gun and wants him to be happy, even if it means he won’t get to spend much time with him anymore.

And at the end of it all, we can also see that Gun is very grateful to Tinn for making him feel better, for supporting him and for including him in Tinn's space. And that comes from Gun being able to feel Tinn's love and care.

[silkythewriter]

Heyy so weird request but could you do a vox x reader who has a kinda one sided rivalry with him in the sense every time he releases tech she'll challenge herself to make a better version

Vox with a one sided rivalry with reader!

Warnings!: A tad tinne winne bit of angst!, sorry if he’s OOC! (˃̣̣̥ ^˂̣̣̥`)

Fandom!: Hazbin hotel!

Author note!: OOOOOO I haven’t written rivals to lovers in a bit! Hopefully it’s not too bad!

(￣▽￣)💧

Summary!: One sided rivalry with are favorite TV demon (ﾉ ≧∀≦)ﾉ

❤️Written by silkythewriter Do not steal or repost on any other platform please! <3.❤️

★🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮★

“In the morning, you would gone

I'd be mourning, tryin' to hold on To

the memory of your lips God,

I'm so lovesick What have you done to me?“

★🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮★

!📺✨Vox✨📺!

Devastated, like actually in greif

After YEARS of not even a single demon upon billions below in the forsaken place called hell could make a DENT in the empire he built. But then you came along! With all your Gezmos and trinkets! (He refuses to call them anything other then that)

He is insecure, no matter how much he puts a face on about not having a fear in the world. He dose, he’s terrified of being replaced or knocked off the top!

The first time you released something after he did he merely laughed. You? A small tiny little business? What idiot would do that!? Your product was most definitely gonna be looked over!

Or that is what he thought at first (ಡ‸ಡ)…

Soon he realized how quick your growth to fame was. And honestly had a melt down, who even were you?!

He makes back handed complements on his TV show like for example “and on recent news a new technology has been released by *insert your name/company name*, looks a bit cheap but it’s okay for their first time!”

Yea expect those a lot…

He’s use to company’s butting heads with him, but he always squashed them in under a day! If not less!, so he was bewildered when you just kept popping up everywhere. He doesn’t even know how. half of the channels in hell are owned or under his name! Or at least played on HIS tvs!.

And when he released a product only for the next day for it to get a bit over shadowed by yours he loses it. He immediately thinks your doing this on purpose, he thinks your doing this as a means to get his attention.

Will never admit it but he bought one just to break it outta rage but after a bit he understood the hype, will take this to his second death bed.

He’s never had a good look at you before maybe a small invention or gala for some of the highest company owners in hell. And let me tell you when this man saw you he was shocked, it took velvet to snap her fingers for him to get out of his trans-like-state. He’s more embarrassed then he’s ever been, not only are your products prove to be a good runner up to his but you were making min lose his breath.

He didn’t wanna believe at first before velvet confirmed it to him.

And may i say, the minute you glanced at him and gave him a charming smile while waving your hand at him with a small glint of pride in your eyes, he actually had a system crashed screen as his whole system rebooted.

It wouldn’t be long till you made your way over to him trying to introduce yourself(•̀ᴗ•́)و

Honestly he couldn’t think straight until you excused yourself to talk to another business owner. He dosent understand, for all the years he’s been dead how is his heart beating so fast for you?

In denial about any feelings towards you, it can’t be! He despises you !, right?

Takes him a bit to work up the courage to talk to you again, as he introduced himself properly with as much passive aggressive charm he could muster. Only to be confused at your sweet yet passive aggressive smile as you shook his hand with such care

How can someone be so competitive yet so sweet?

We’re you trying to woo him on purpose!?(ᗒᗣᗕ)՞

He didn’t understand even though he knew your intent, and the underlying nature in your interaction. He still found it charming, and shocking at you technical level and marking tactics. He isn’t happily impressed, but he is definitely impressed, he would never show that though of course.

It always seemed no matter how much of a short time between releases you always managed to make it better he just didn’t understand how!. How did you have such short time to perfect something that he’s been working at for months!

He soon realizes out shinning you or squashing you business wasn’t gonna work. You guys were too evenly matched, it would be through pure luck that one of you would out shine the other one day and not the next. So he did the best next thing, purposed a business deal (quite reluctantly might I add)

To just merge company’s he knew your rise wouldn’t falter anytime soon.

At first you felt like this was a trick, to steal your soul or take you out while your walls were down. But he quickly explained it’d be easier to just have you work on things and share the profit (surprise, surprise)

Now you can decide weather you accept or not!

But after that meeting he would call you over for many more strictly for business meetings! Definitely not just desperate to spend time with you or anything

Even when you proposed to just, email, or text, he still declined saying he found it easier to say what he needed out loud. Definitely…. (≖ᴗ≖✿)

Sooner or later you’d catch on, or some people on the news would gossip of your “secret affairs”

You would soon confront him about this, and let me tell you this man is decent at standing under pressure in some if not most situations expect this one.

I feel like he wouldn’t admit it till MANY months later cause he’s just that stubborn

He just hates it, he hates your stupid smile, the way you make his stomach do back flips, the small glint of happiness and pride when your product is loved and bought by the millions. He hates the smile you keep even if at a rivalry with him. He hates everything about you, he hates it, he hates it so much he ends up realizing he loves it.

Yea he is one complicated man….

But once he finally admits it, and you end up giving it a shot. This guy would try to act like he wasn’t about to shut down, like his inner fans and vents weren’t about to self implode, he’d act cool and collected about it but behind closed doors he’s quite literally smiling like a dope

NOW if this were released to the public, the mess that would ensue is scandals upon scandals.

I mean! Imagine the head lines! “Two of hells most biggest company rivals now together?!”

News is fast to spreed lemme tell you that

I feel like he would rather have the relationship private but if it got out…let’s just say he wouldn’t stop it either per say (¬‿¬)

Overall! I feel like even if it was a one sided rivalry I feel like it would quickly turn to both of you butting heads. Cause to out shine the king of tech himself is quite the challenge, and you being able to do that says a lot!, he’ll be holding a grudge even into a relationship and still would get competitive here to there he would definitely still study your work to see how you improve so fast!. Still in the end of the day he’ll still dote on you behind close doors!

ପ(๑•̀ᴗ-♡ॢ)⋆*✩

★🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮🝮★

WOWZA THAT WAS ALOT OH MY GOSH

ヘ（。□°）ヘ

I REALLY HOPE YOU LIKE IT!!, I haven’t written rivals to lover plot in a bit BUT MY GOSH NESS ITS VERY FUN TO PLAY AROUND WITH THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REQUESTING PLEASE COME AGAIN! Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ

[mikuni14]

One of the many things that attracts me about The Sign: a pair of adults who are equal, different, but similar in the things that matter. There have been couples like this before: Tan and Bun in Manner of Death, Charn and Tinn in Laws of Attraction, and now there are Phaya and Tharn. Personally, I love it. Adult people, aware of their feelings and sexuality, who are hindered by external factors, not their immaturity, on their way to having a relationship. Who are good at what they do, at their jobs. When both MLs are smart, brave, talented and independent. They're not like, a knight on a white horse who does everything and a damsel in distress who either does nothing or acts stupidly and needs to be saved. They talk, they are open about their feelings, not necessarily verbally, and yet everything is clear, because no one is dumb and clueless. Not only that, Tan and Bun, Charn and Tinn, and Phaya and Tharn are aware of their mutual attraction from the moment they MEET. And what's important for me, what I always pay attention to: there is no situation, where one person is sexually aggressive and the other is shy and skittish and acts like sex is something bad and dirty and oh my, maybe we will do it someday but not so fast! That's why I love these couples, because from the very beginning it's clear that they're all. equally. horny. 😍 And they're not weird about sex. They don't make it a big deal and attach morality to sex. Their feelings and desire are very visible and very simple: "gods, you're so hot, I want you so bad, we would have been in bed a long time ago if only it weren't for all these life-threatening situations, if only you weren't a potential criminal / a corrupt lawyer / in danger, if only I didn't have to sacrifice myself to keep you safe🥺🥵". IT'S ACTUALLY VERY SIMPLE, THEY'RE SIMPLE, I LOVE SIMPLE lol

I'm so happy that Phaya and Tharn have roles written like this. They are both smart, brave, independent, both have undergone hard training and passed the exam, both have a work ethic, are inquisitive, want to be professionals, and have ambitions. They proved that they can cooperate with each other, putting aside their own feelings. I really like that both of them are also presented as dudes, that they have their own stupid behavior, that they banter, tease each other, that they are not perfect and act silly, that they can behave like normal people. I liked how Phaya is fully aware that Tharn will allow him to do many things, but not everything, that he can kiss him, but leave it at that, not press him for more. And that Tharn, although stunned by the kiss, doesn't make a big deal of it. They are so normal, they are both freaks and clowns crazy about each other, but still very, very normal. And it drives ME crazy 🥳

All this is extremely attractive to me. Adults, self-aware people, equal, struggling with the outside world (usually it's a murder investigation 😩 ), but when it comes to romance, they're thriving and having the time of their lives (while fighting for these lives).

I like pretty much all types of BL series, but I really wish there were more series about adults, especially romances in which both lovers are equal in everything. There are so few of them and that's probably why The Sign makes such a huge impression.

(shout out to @the-wayside for inspiring me with this post to put my chaotic thoughts into probably even more chaotic words!)

[gothicbarbie]

MY TOP 10 BEST BL COUPLES OF 2023

So I guess I'm a little late considering it's now 2024 in most places, but well, better late than never. I tried and failed to rank top 20 or even 10 kisses... I just couldn't remember them all or even choose... but most of my top couples have some pretty great kisses, so at least there's that! I can, however, rank my favorite BL pairings from 2023, so... let's do it! I will be ranking these from least favorite to favorite because I think it's more fun that way... Also I credited all the gif makers at the bottom but I did list the tumblr user for each specific gif underneath. If someone wants me to remove their gif, please let me know and I will so! I just wanted to pretty up the post a bit.

Also, to clarify, any couple on a show that is currently airing and not complete yet is not eligible to be on the list for 2023. Trust me, there were many I wanted to include!

Honorary Mentions:

Tinn & Gun | My School President

So, spoiler, a different GeminiFourth pairing will be on the actual top 10 so I didn't really want to include both pairings on the list, but I really did love the two of them in My School President. G/F just have such a wonderful and natural chemistry. The way they always look at each other just feels so pure and sweet. I really like pairings where one is secretly pining for the other, but Tinn/Gun also sorta had a hate/love ISH thing going for a little while. The progression of their relationship to actual boyfriends was just so fun to watch and really well done.

Dong Wook & Do Hyun | A Breeze of Love

I watched this BL so quickly that it didn't really resonate with me as well as some other series, which is why these two didn't make the top 10, however, I really enjoyed their relationship on the show. I love hate to love pairings and I found their backstory scenes really sweet as well. I also thought they had a really nice chemistry and there were some strong kissing moments for a kbl.

Jihan & Jaejun | City Boy Log

I didn't include these two on the main list for two reasons, one: the show is not over yet... i don't think? and two: this technically isn't a BL drama? IDK anymore, but regardless I love this series and this couple so dang much! I love the realness of them filming themselves and how their relationship is portrayed so subtly until their feelings just sort of emerge. They have some really wonderful and special scenes or moments together that we don't typically get on other series. I am anxious to see where the rest of the story goes and I hope the actors get another opportunity to work together. The side pairing is great too!

Top 10!

#10. Ai & Songkhram | Destiny Seeker

These two were so damn fun to watch, I really loved the hate to love thing at the start that quickly turned into love (Or I guess always sort of was???). The actors had such a great chemistry together and they had so many fun little moments and bantery scenes together. While the rest of the series felt a little flat for me, their connection continuously kept me interested.

#09. Ze Rui & Zong Yi | Kiseki Dear to Me

Honestly don't even know what to write about these two or how to explain why I like them, because there wasn't anything particularly special about their dynamic that typically draws me in, but I just really enjoyed the actors chemistry together and I really liked the progression of their relationship and how well they meshed together. Their kissing was extremely natural too.

#08. King & Eua | Bed Friend

Firstly, these two are HOT AF, and I really loved the friends with benefits storyline between these two, but more than that, we have a perfect character imo with King, who was continuously there for Eua and always trying to help him and make him understand how much he really cared. The show could be very dark at times but I love that King was always sort of the shining light for Eua.

#07. Segaski & Yoh | My Personal Weatherman

I can admit that the big draw to this show for me originally was the sexy scenes and moments, and while I do think the series could have done with some more scenery changes and better storylines, considering the time frame, I enjoyed watching the relationship between the two characters develop. It's nice to get a friends with benefits type of relationship and see how it progresses into more than that. And for a JBL it was nice to see some high heat with a happy ending.

#06. Su Yu & Wu Bi | Stay With Me

SIGH. THESE TWO. So I mean, I understand the criticism of this show and their relationship. So many things are implied but personally I felt like the end half made it pretty clear that these two were 100% a romantic couple. (just wish it was clarified when that change happened) But the progression of their relationship from hate to love was so beautiful to watch. Even if it was just a friendship it was worth it imo to see how close they got. Fair warning, the finale episode is not the best lmao, but I hope we get a second season to sort of fix it? Fingers crossed on that one.

#05. Wan & Ki Tae | Our Dating Sim

This was definitely one of the cutest BL's of the year and this couple falls into that category well too. I really loved seeing them re-connect. I love that they were old best friends (with feelings) that had a lot of issues to sort through and we saw some adorable flashback scenes as well as current scenes. I also love that they got together and were mostly happy instead of having a lot of intense drama.

#04. Li Ming & Heart | Moonlight Chicken

These two... so much to say about them and yet I don't really know where to start. Gemini and Fourth just work so well together and I felt like this duo was even deeper than in MSP. They started out on bad terms but quickly became close and I really loved the progression of their relationship and then I adored how we also got to see them together as a couple too. My favorite thing about them was how hard Li Ming worked to try to understand Heart and how he learned sign language for him and encouraged him to get to know others like him and to put himself out there. They also had such a fun banter with playful moments and scenes. It was just so damn pure and sweet to watch with no unnecessary or stupid fillery drama.

#03. Jae Won and Ji Hyun | The Eighth Sense

Something about this pairing just felt so much different than the typical KBL pairing. The show itself was so much deeper and had a more serious tone than we typically get, which was amazing. The actors nailed the roles and you could really feel the tension and longing between them right from the beginning. I loved their storyline so much and the actors seemed so comfortable together.

#02. Yamato & Kakeru | I Cannot Reach You

This was one of my favorite BL's of the year and their relationship was a huge part of it. I thought I was more into hate to love, but clearly, based on this list, that isn't always the case. There is something so sweet and adorable about best friends turned to lovers. I really love too when we see one side pining for the other, so this couple was extremely enjoyable to watch!

#01. Chen Yi & Ai Di | Kiseki Dear To Me

Good Lord these two... they had the perfect formula for my favorite type of pairing. Hate to love, drama, tension, angst, one-sided pining... it was so painful to have to wait every week for more. But god, it was worth the wait and their chemistry was just so good, their kisses were phenomenal too. Def. a memorable pair and a show I will be rewatching very soon!

THANK YOU to all these wonderful humans for making the most amazing gifs that I used in this post!

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Top 5 BL KISSES of 2023!

You’re so cool! Love you! 😘

💋

Love this question, but I tend to be really really in love with the like smaller kisses in shows some times cause of the #tenderness and #domesticity, but since there are so many good kisses and you think I'm cool, I'll give you 5 big and 5 small kisses 😘

5 Big Kisses

The Ultimate Winner- Yai and Jom, I Feel You Linger in the Air, Ep 7

What a phenomenal way to break the tension. Bright and Nonkul cycled through so many emotions in this entire scene fleeing the party, and I remember how well done this kiss was not only for the kiss itself but because everyone I knew was tense as hell seeing these boys kissing out in the open where anyone might see them.

Ray and Sand, Only Friends, Ep 2

Again, love or hate Only Friends does not matter to me, but I was absolutely obsessed with this kiss for quite awhile because I love the visual metaphor of things heating up between Sand and Ray by having smoke pour out of their mouths around the kiss. Like they were literally smoking hot, and I thought that was cool as fuck.

Yamato and Kakeru, I Can't Reach You, Ep 8

So many chances to lock lips, so many interruptions, and finally, fucking FINALLY that curtain came around both of them and the possible interruptions didn't matter any more. If you are going to save any kissing until the very last episode, this is how it should be done.

Lom and Nuea, Wedding Plan, Ep 6

I'm just going to leave this here. I really loved their sex scene in this episode. The Me Mind Y boys have some killer sex scene game.

King and Uea, Bed Friend, Ep. 9

gif by @gunsatthaphan

There are a near infinite number of KingUea kisses that I love with my entire being, but I think what takes the cake for me with this kiss in the bathroom in Episode 9 is the teasing, begging, and nuzzling. Like it just feels so familiar, domestic, and still full of desire and I appreciate that these boys getting together did not decrease their sex drive over time like a lot of BLs tend to do.

5 Small Kisses

King and Uea, Bed Friend, Ep. 4, 6, & 9

gif by @gunsatthaphan

I love boys that simp for their boyfriends, and though King and Uea are not officially boyfriends yet, these little moments, the little kisses and stuff really make King's interest in Uea feel real, and it's cute as fuck. I also love that Uea mirrors this kiss near the end of the show.

I also love the forehead kiss that Uea gives King during the pet play scene in Episode 6. I don't know why but it just feels almost sacred in a way, similarly to the Ep 4 kiss, the smaller quick kisses feel like something beyond just a casual hook up or friends with benefits situation. Now, we should know King has been interested in Uea for year, but he really starts leaning in to that around the time that I'm pretty sure Uea's feelings for King really start to solidify, and coming out of that pet play scene, these two are ready to be boyfriends. So I just love that little moment

And Ep 9 I love the forehead kiss that King plants on Uea after his stepfather is arrested. I just love Uea resting his head on King's shoulder, and King running his thumb across Uea's knee to comfort him, it feels domestic.

Han Baram and Im Han Tae, Sing My Crush, Ep.

gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul

IM HAN TAE DOES NOT EVEN REALIZE THAT HE HAS ROMANTIC FEELINGS FOR HAN BARAM HERE. IM HAN TAE IS FULLY JUST ACCIDENTALLY TORTURING THIS POOR, SAD GAY BOY! But I love this kiss so much, it's so sweet, it's so much fun, and you know what Han Baram deserves little kisses like this.

Phaya and Tharn, The Sign, Ep. 3

gif by @crispywizardtale

These two are so obsessed with each other it's disgusting. It's also the first real kiss they've had in 5 episodes and I found it very fun and sweet. Phaya said "oh you seem to be struggling to actually tell me you like me, let's kiss about it" and honestly, love that for him.

Tinn and Charn, Laws of Attraction, Ep 7

gif by @spicyvampire

Okay so this is technically not a kiss, but it is one of my favorite TinnCharn moments so I am counting it. Thank you for older gays, and also thank you for having fun and being playful with each other after sex. I love when people do stupid shit like this, and Tinn is just the biggest loser and he deserves to bite Charn as a little treat.

Shin Ki Tae and Lee Wan, Our Dating Sim, Ep 6

gif by @hanjiwoos

THE GIGGLES

THE GIGGLES HE GIGGLED

This scene was so sweet and I really really need to rewatch this show.

ASK ME MY TOP 5 OF ANYTHING BL 2023

[twig-tea]

Top 5 Couple Fights

Oooooooh this is fun! Thank you for a relatively easy category because so often the fights in these shows are unearned and it is very frustrating. I'm still limiting myself to 2023!

Wen and Alan, Moonlight Chicken

This fight felt real, it felt lived in, and it felt heartbreaking even though we only saw some of it. These two men love each other, but love isn't enough to keep them together, and that realization is as heartbreaking as the fight itself.

My Personal Weatherman

I am obsessed with the fights in My Personal Weatherman because the characters often don't know they're in one, or are in two different fights at the same time. This is all tied to how much I love how well the miscommunication is done in this show. These fights are legible based on what we know about these characters and what they've seen, even when they're completely unnecessary, and I adore that. Of course the best one is the ending fight and not just because Segasaki ties up Yo's wrists in his shirt.

Jack O'Frost

[Not enough gifs of this actual fight and I need to finish this list so this is what you get]. The fight at the very start of this show escalated so quickly, at first I wasn't sure about it even while I appreciated the performances and the intimate way it was shot. But when we get the backstory and we finally understand how much has been withheld and said vs. not said between them, and where their anxieties were rooted and the source of these big feelings, this fight makes so much more sense. This is a show that really benefits from being watched more than once.

La Pluie

[for some reason tumblr is giving me this link to Shan's blog rather than @liyazaki so tagging you, friend!]

Patts was pushed and pushed and pushed, and he lashed out in his insecurity, and when he asked for reassurance (this lineeee) Saengtai refused to give it to him and instead lashed out out of his own insecurity. This was a painful fight that was fully earned; all of the characters and their choices were legible even as they were infuriating. And it led to a critical awakening of Saengtai who was so caught up in his own sad boy narrative he hadn't realized how much he was hurting everyone around him.

My Beautiful Man S2

Kiyoi and Hira's communication issues continuing past S1 is very believable. I said elsewhere that Hira's work on his self-worth is more like a spiral than a straight line and that's very relatable and realistic. Kiyoi being hurt by Hira not valuing Kiyoi's feelings was such an important lesson for Hira to get more than once. Again, so earned, and resulted in the characters self-reflecting and moving a little closer to whatever a healthy relationship means for these two lol

Laws of Attraction

How much do I Love Tinn seeing right through Charn and Charn being big mad at him for Perceiving him so well? All of their fights are so good because they're about boundaries and mutual respect at their core, and they actually listen to one another and are based on how well they know one another (rather than what so often happens, when the characters seem to forget who the person they're in love with actually is). This barely counts as fight but I love it and it's my list so it stays.

Bonus entry that's only for me (shh stop counting the above):

Mr. Cinderella S2

Nobody but me and like 2 other people watched this show, but I'm actually obsessed with the couple fight in Mr. Cinderella s2 so thank you for the chance to rant about it on main some more. I need to start by saying: this plot is ridiculous and the ending sucks. But within this show, Dung and Khoa have an established relationship that has been tested in S1 and is being tested harder in S2, and to a point, they actually stand together and weather the storm, and it was rewarding to watch. And then slowly everything happening ("everything" here being an ABSURD amount of melodrama) starts to wear on Khoa, who sees himself as the one solely responsible for everything, and he unlearns some of what he learned in s1, he stops relying on Dung as his support, stops telling Dung what's going on because he doesn't want to burden him, and stops trusting Dung's word about what is happening. And so, when the jealousy plot hits, it's actually believable that Dung would be mad at Khoa, not for cheating, but for not respecting Dung as a partner in their relationship. It's well done, I wish so much that it were in a better show so that I could actually recommend anyone watching (I don't). I've seen this trope (assumed cheating) done so badly and so unearned in so many shows, this was so refreshing.

Extra bonus: Best couple fight scene of all time?

Gameboys S2

[I give up on gifs of this scene; have them upset for other reasons instead!]

What I love about the way they fight in this show is that, beyond it being earned etc. etc., the dialogue is so raw. They repeat themselves, they just yell over one another, they get rude, they try saying something to de-escalate and it gets worse instead. This is not a carefully crafted speech, or a single perfectly delivered devastating line; this is raw emotion. I recognize this fight, I've been in this fight, this is what I sound like when I fight lol And we see them really fight at least twice, and the way they fight in ep8 has changed as a result of the earlier fight is also SO good.

[kongthapatom]

Riddle me this: When have queer stories managed to become popular with little kids in Asia before MSP did?

This year I watched MSP cast promote the drama in schools and so many students ranging from small kids to high schoolers doing MSP dance challenges even months after MSP ended. It makes me ecstatic when I see them watching this drama, even becoming a fan! TinnGun made it seem so effortless to touch the hearts of Asian kids and teens in a way no queer drama has been able to do before. 

MSP really changed my perception of what it will take for queer media to overthrow the hetero agenda in Asia someday. It made me realize we need more feel-good, family-friendly and goofy stories that appeal to everyone and make them laugh instead of convoluted or grandiose stories that lose the plot or those that specifically amplify queer struggles and minimise the joy of love.

That in the end, when real change starts in society, no matter how big or small and culminates with homophobia finally packing its bags & Asian families being won over - it won't be because of dramatic and "realistic" queer stories rife with suffering, grief or heartbreak that got voted best by the critics. It will be because of a simple and sweet love story like MSP, where one boy had a crush on another boy and did everything it takes to help him reach his dreams and found his own happiness in the process, a story that is vibrating with so much of queer positivity, joy and heart that it's impossible for anyone who watches it to not became its fan.

It makes my heart burst with joy that queer kids today are growing up with much better examples of queer love in front of them than our previous generations ever did. Imagine the impact this will have, the difference it will make in young queer Asian lives.

Gun told Tinn that the love songs we listen to in high school are the best love songs ever because they're the original soundtracks of our first love - To think there is a generation of kids right now who are listening to MSP soundtrack and falling in love to the same songs Tinn and Gun sang to each other and will remember MSP as their life's greatest love songs someday in the future - it boggles my mind and perhaps we won't grasp the full extent of what MSP did for its queer audience until many years have passed.

Nonetheless, I'll never stop singing MSP's praises because all they had was a newbie director, rookie actors & a banger soundtrack to do the impossible and make queer characters go mainstream in Asian schools and resonate with kids. We'll soon find out if we'll see TinnGun in college next year being sickeningly in love and serenading each other with an even gayer cuter cheesier soundtrack! (I hope so) Even if we don't, I'm excited for the impact MSP and GemFourth will have on queer romance genre down the line.

[bengiyo]

Top 5 BL parent-child relationships?

I actually don't think we had a ton of parents this year, but some of them were good!

Gim and Gun in My School President

When I tell you I ugly cried when they were singing Let Me Tell You at Hot Wave and I thought that might be the last thing she ever saw of her son: was him being brave on stage and doing what he loved even as he worried about her. I'm literally tearing up right now just thinking about it. She showed up as soon as her son and his friends were in trouble and intimidated people into letting them go. The last lesson she tried to teach her son was to cherish the people who love you. I love her so much.

Photjanee and Tinn's Father in My School President

It takes a lot to recognize that you may have messed up with your kid, and even more to not interfere in their affairs when you're worried. She recognized that something she had done made her loving son not trust her with something important about himself, and she turned to her husband to figure that out. Then, when the crisis moment came and someone came for her son, she put herself right in front of the opposition and said "No, don't you ever touch my son ever again." She stood in the crowd and said, "Scream louder," for his first love. This dad always has his son's back, and will do the dad thing of nudging the stern mom to relent and let them have a little fun because he trusts his son.

Jim and Li Ming in Moonlight Chicken

The hardest part about being an uncle who becomes a father is it's not something you planned. In Jim's case, he also lost his partner. Despite his poverty and his grief, Jim still gave Li Ming all of his best qualities. Li Ming is kind and thoughtful. He is righteous and stubborn. He values community. Nowhere else in this genre have we ever seen a father and son expressed like them. They are one of the most important things Aof has ever given us, and it doesn't surprise me that this is what we got out of his original work.

Shiro and His Parents in What Did You Eat Yesterday? 2

When Shiro told his father that his friend borrowed the character from his name and so the child is named Goro like him. He went on to say that he always regretted that he couldn't give them grandkids, but feels like he's done right by them by passing on what he learned from them, you could see something finally click between all of them and give them peace. Shiro's parents have not handled his queerness gracefully, and I've loved the slow work between all of them to do better by each other. Coming out of the painful barrier they put between them and Kenji in the movie, I like how much of this season was Shiro's parents undoing that.

Ueda Koji in Our Dining Table

This man lost his wife and now caring for a very young son with the help of his depressed adult son. No matter the grief he's carrying, he's continued to maintain his profession and provide for his sons. When he sees a kind stranger reignite his own son, he does everything he can to support that relationship, including physically throwing his own son out of the house to go reconcile. He gave Yutaka the kindest advice I've ever seen about going into love with your heart open and your mind clear, knowing that you will probably lose that love at some point. Incredible father figure of the year.

Ask Me Top 5 BL 2023 Anything

Wow, congratulations, anon. You are the first person to make me cry as I answered all of these questions.

[blue-grama]

A little Film/Jam requeim

Upon the news that these two are not planning any projects together in the future, I was pondering Thai actor pairings and why I liked this particular one. First let me say I'm very in favor of actors not getting joined at the hip forever -- I doubt that's why anyone gets into acting, and while I get the financial reasons this happens in Thai entertainment, I'm generally in agreement that it tends to limit creativity, since the brand often has to come before the story. My only gripe is that now they're off doing lakorns that will never get subbed in English and it's not fair and look, I need to see The Empress of Ayodhaya ok?? I don't think it's a bad thing to have actors with great chemistry appear together in multiple shows, however, and I wanna say that I think these two used that opportunity right. Look, we have Tian:

Utter cinammon roll, too pure for this world, total sweetheart. He's a little scared and a lot beaten down, but he still has a burning spark of respect for himself that he doesn't let extinguish. He spends 73% of this show in the throes of a mental breakdown but still manages to take control of his narrative in the end. It's actively insane that the murder glitter show has such fantastic characters.

And then you have Charn, who is...

... also beaten down by this world, but evil about it. It's all manipulation, manwhoring, and complicated smiles belaying his real feelings with this guy. Refreshingly, he only has to reform himself a little bit to get his happy ending.

Meanwhile, Jiu. Assassin, kind of a tsundere. Marshmallow center, obviously. I'll never be over how after he and Tian first had sex (under the influence of a beetle fungus, OBVIOUSLY), he got deeply hurt that Tian said it was a mistake and accused Tian of doing this to all the boys. Possibly my favorite Jiu moment. ANYWAY.

There isn't as much distance between Jiu and Tinn as there is between Tian and Charn (from what I've seen, Jam maybe doesn't have quite as much range as Film, or at least hasn't been asked to demonstrate it). But Tinn is a more open and straightforward character, the moral center of Laws of Attraction versus a guy who assassinates several people with scissors without remorse in Khun Chai.

Point is, we don't always get this with repeated actor pairings. A lot of the time, you have an underlying dynamic that comes through in all the pair's shows, and it can't wander too far from its origins - I was thinking about this specifically with regards to Only Friends after listening to this excellent debut of the Part 5 (of 4) podcast, which talks about the way Force's Top turned into a completely flat character, possibly because "interesting" would conflict with the whole True Love ForceBook dynamic that GMMTV needs to sell. An appealing dynamic can be great -- hey, I read fanfic, I get the joy of putting the same guy in situations -- but I really liked how Film and Jam went with/were given quite different characters in their two projects together. This could be a lakorn vs. BL thing, but it'd be cool to see more paired actors take on more disparate roles together!

My disappointment over no more shows from these two comes down to wishing I could see what else they might pull off. Jam as the rich jerk instead of Film? Both of them playing morally grey? It could have been fun.

Oh well; I'll just be over here lighting candles for English subs from One31, because at least this hot murderous royalty nonsense looks exquisite.

And if you've read this far, please feel free to drop me recs in the tags or comments of other pairs that have played really different roles or dynamics with each other. I love seeing actors show their range!

[fadedsaturated]

I'm almost finished with my third watch of this series, and quite honestly, it might be the most perfect BL in terms of what I'm looking for in a series of this nature.

Tinn and Gun's romance is perfectly paced. Their chemistry is off the charts. Tinn's goofy dorkiness and endless supply of supportiveness mixed with the hyperactive spitfire Gun with a raging passion and grief inside of him are perfectly dynamic apart and together. They are just such an endlessly entertaining pair to watch and root for.

I love that the show allows us to really spend time with both of them individually and together to see their sweet sentimental sides, their goofy flustered sides, their pain, their love, their friendships.

I love Gun's stupid friends. I love seeing Sound and Win bark at each other. I love Mark chewing on every scene he is in as Tinn's supportive bestie Tiw, I love both of the boys' moms and how their bonds with their sons contrast each other.

Every song is perfectly sung and perfectly placed and adds so much pathos to the show. I love how the series has three intro themes to signify each arc of the story, making it all feel grander.

I love how each episode feels so full and like an event and not just random scenes strung together like some other casually plotted BL Dramas. And each episode is always filled with laughter, warmth, and a little bit of sadness.

It's truly one of the most watchable BLs I've ever encountered, there isn't one minute of the show I dislike (except maybe that awful obnoxiously cringey rap battle sequence LOL).

The company really put their entire heart, soul, and budget into this series and maybe it's cliche at this point to ride this show's dick so hard, but after binging it a few times in a row I can honestly say that this is the exact show I wish I could see more of.

But, at the end of the day I'm just glad this show exists, and that I can live in this world for as long as I want with Gun and his lovable band of idiots, and his school president boyfriend 💚

[absolutebl]

Recs for Uni or HS BLs where studying impacts plot

My ask box is bonkers, sometimes I get a message in email saying someone asked a question and then when I check on the hellsite itself, it's gone... (What does this MEAN?)

Anygay...

@sagi-kari asked a question:

Do you have any recs for Uni or HS BLs where the main focus is studying or study related (they have to actually do the thing). Like LITA with Rain's studies being a caveat to their relationship or Big Dragon with Mangkorn's New York internship/job idr.

Basically, the study needs to be an important thing to the narrative.

This is a doozie and I'm only gonna rec stuff I rated over 8/10

University & HS BL Revolving Around Study

Semantic Error - class conflict is the inciting event, and this is one of my favorite BLs of all time. So yeah, it tops the list. I am assuming you have watched it because EVERYONE must watch this little pice of perfect. Full review here.

Blueming - the school project is the source of the conflict, this is a complicated chewy very thoughtful BL, longer than normal for Korea. If you enjoy things like The 8th Sense you might like this. Full review here.

Love Class - the whole show is about a manufactured relationship as part of a social science class experiment. Full review here.

You Make Me Dance - I mean it's a dance major so no actual book study but yeah, it's there he has to win a dance scholarship as a main part of the plot. I've never done a full review of this, and frankly that's an oversite. Time for a rewatch?

HIStory 2: Right or Wrong - it's about a teacher student relationship so...

Addicted: Heroin - especially the first half, I know what you're thinking, but also, THINK about it. It's all within a class from environment for most of the first 6 eps. I believe it counts. This is, without question, the best BL China has ever produced. FIGHT ME.

Destiny Seeker - an under appreciated pulp that is basically predicated on the university sorting hat. I have great affection for this hot mess, including all the sides. Mostly takes place within and around the complexities of dorm life. Full review here.

Kiss Me Again series (BL cut) + Dark Blue Kiss (AKA the PeteKao series staring TayNew) - it's not necessarily a driver but engineering and study is actual integral in a setting as character kind of way. And there is a lot of "make-out while studying." Plus we in the TayNew renauances and I have great affection for their original series. Everyoen shoudl watch it. Here's the watch guide.

HS BL - not exactly study, but sorta & they really good

Light On Me - Another one of my absolute favorite BLs, but it's about the school government club, not actual study. Full review here.

Love Sick - if you count club activities. I just got a full load up of this series with new subs, so I was going to do a watch along in honor of 2024 (its 10th anniversary). I am still considering it.

My School President - also, if you count extra-curricular & club activities. Another BL that i absolutely adore. No full review but I did have a long discussion on how this plays into Thailand's new norm in BL here.

Takara & Amagi - ugh I love this show so much but it's more about popularity and social acceptance in HS than studing, full review here.

About Youth - if you count external parental pressure to over achieve, another underappreciated gem, this time for Taiwan. Full review here.

I dithered...

Bad Buddy - maybe, I mean departmental conflict is a large part of the story, plus high school back story club activities, but there is very little study. Full review here.

Please feel free to add more on a RP or in comments, but remember my codicil was I have to have personally rated it over 8/10 so your baby might not be on here because it wasn't to my personal taste.

(source)

[namtanlovesfilm]

axelle judges bl shows > Laws of Attraction

summary: Charn is a big shot lawyer who is hired by Senator Thattep in a case where a little girl was ran over by his son. The girl's niece is Tinn, who comes to hate Charn for his disrespectful tactics.

where to watch: youtube

grade: 8/10

pros:

even though the story is quite simple, it was well written and convincing & a fun journey to go through!

the acting was so so so good, once again film ate even though I wasn't a fan of his creepy smile lol, and jam truly is becoming a fave of mine bc he's too fucking charismatic!

I especially liked that the show didn't spend much time on the obvious. for example, instead of pretending to be shocked that charn wants to become a better man for tinn, it's accepted pretty quickly bc it's a very well-known twist that we all saw coming. this reduced the feeling of 'I've already seen this story 50 times before' for the viewers & made the show progress more smoothly.

the chemistry was even better than in to sir with love :)

cons:

the side ships were so underdeveloped, bro. we literally miss tee & tanthai getting together & being captured by thattep, and maya & rose were barely confirmed... I genuinely think they had the time to develop them well though, or they should've added two extra episodes imo.

some of the plot twists & solutions to problems are way too obvious or escape logic but oh well, this isn't meant to be a super deep or serious show so it's okay.

would I rewatch it: yes!

Overall this was an enjoyable show but of course not on the level of To Sir, With Love because of the difference of topics and length of both shows. It was still a super fun show and I'm hoping to see more of this ship because I really like them together :)

[respectthepetty]

CockTails in the Skyy! - Drink Recap

I made it through eight rounds of drinking, so I could get through Our Skyy 2 with minimal damage. Below are the basic ingredients for each drink, links to the connected post rambling about each episode, and the drinking GIFs I used for each installment. Feel free to take the GIFs and the drink recipes to use as you'd like.

Bottoms Up!

Rum-Antics - Never Let Me Go (7.5/10)

spiced rum since I couldn't get Mekhong

smashed blueberries for that purple color that Nueng and Palm always had during their lovey-dovey scenes

ginger ale because I think Nueng was studying abroad in England, but if not . . . it is what it is

brown sugar and lime juice on the rim for class differences

Sun & Stars - Star in My Mind (7/10)

gin & tonic to balance the bitter and sweet of Daonuea and Khabkluen's dynamic

pineapple juice for that beach vibe

elder flower syrup and vanilla bean sugar on the rim to add to the sickly sugariness they expell

Jack Nasty - The Eclipse (8/10)

Jack Daniel's Honey Whiskey for Akk and Ayan's sweet yet intense dynamic

unfiltered apple cider for the A+ prefect jerk, Akk

lemon juice for the wrench in the system and Sour Patch kid, Ayan

honey and cinnamon on the rim for Kan and Thua

Purple Pair - Vice Versa (6/10, could've been 9/10)

Absolut vodka because vodka is my least favorite liquor (just like this show), but Absolut since much like this company, I'm gonna support my fellow queers no matter what

cranberry juice for Puen's pink(ish)

curaçao for Talay's blue

lavender syrup and rock candy on the rim for the wild switcheroo between calm and chaos

For Goodness' Sake - My School President (9/10)

sake for Chinzhilla's hot pot adventure

more white wine for all the whining and pining the Gun and Tinn did

lemons, limes, oranges, grapes, and apple slices for the sweetness overload (I was going to comment about the variation of fruits, but I don't know the crowd's feelings on the word, so . . . *takes a big sip directly from the bottle*)

Deja Brew - A Boss & A Babe (8/10)

dark coffee for our "tough" boss, Gun

vanilla brandy for the boss's babe, Cher

soy milk and ice for the men holding it together Tubtab and Jack

whipped cream and chocolate shavings for the disgustingly sweet Three and Zo

Sleigh What? - Bad Buddy (9.5/10 crossover with ATOTS)

champagne because all I hear is Jessie Ware's "Champagne Kisses" when I see these too

coconut water for episode 11's cake by the ocean (sex on the beach)

mint for that refreshing Pran smell that Pat loves

Christmas glass because it felt like Christmas getting that crossover and never forget Pat was shot on Christmas Eve!

Par-tea-ing Ways - A Tale of Thousand Stars (9.5/10 crossover with Bad Buddy)

tequila because I was saving my favorite liquor for my favorite series in this lineup

mango tea for those sachets that saved the village

chimoy and Tajín on the rim for that 🔥🔥🔥 Tian and Phupha bring

As usual,

Cheers, Queers!

[ranchthoughts]

MSP and the relief of a sweet show

I've been thinking about this for a while, and now other people's comments and tags are bringing it all up again (@theoryofarson, @dudeyuri, @chickenstrangers) so here goes.

Watching MSP as it aired (and of course, on rewatch too) was such a breath of fresh air because it was so good-natured.

1) I've talked about this before here, but MSP resolved conflicts and predicaments within the episode, if not the next scene. For example:

Chinzilla convinces Sound to join the band and he takes over and kicks Gun out -> but by the end of the ep., Gun is back in charge and they have happily accepted Sound into their little family. Gun's friends remained supportive and loyal to Gun, there are no hurt feelings.

Gun's mother is sick and Tinn knows because he went to the hospital with her, but Gun's mom asks him not to tell Gun -> by the end of the next two scenes Gun knows about his mom and has forgiven Tinn for keeping that a secret, and by the end of the episode Gun's mom has had surgery and we know she's going to be ok

There are soooo many other examples I could go on forever, but I'm not going to list them all here.

2) Relatedly, MSP never went with the more dramatic story line, fraught with miscommunication. This is the main reason why the conflicts/predicaments could be wrapped up by the end of the ep. For example:

Tinn and Gun quickly resolve their differences after Tinn kept Gun's mother's health issues from him, with both understanding where the other came from.

When Gun watches Tinn receive sweets and compliments from a random girl he doesn't let his jealousy fester (much) and directly asks Tinn about it, and Tinn immediately sets the record straight which Gun believes.

When Tinn has his interview with a doctor scheduled at the same time as one of the Hot Wave rounds, he is honest about it with Gun beforehand and while Gun is disappointed, he understands that Tinn has his own dreams and is supportive of him.

These conflicts and miscommunications are realistic: of course Tinn and Gun are in a stressful situation with regards to Gun's mother's health, of course Gun would be jealous and not know what was going on, of course it's disappointing Tinn can't go to Gun's performance. But the characters talk to each other, they don't avoid conversations, they don't get (too) jealous or let their jealousy fester (much), they trust one another, and thus these story lines can be wrapped much faster that you might get in other shows.

3) And I talked about this before here, but Tinn's romantic dreams come true! While MSP shows us that not everything is going to happen just as we imagined (e.g., Tinn's ep.3 dreams of confessing to Gun over a heart graph or sharing earbuds or having a Ghost moment while cooking or wiping food from Gun's mouth are foiled), it doesn't then come out and conclude that life is worse than our imagination, that love isn't real, that cute romantic moments never happen, etc. Like @theoryofarson says in their tags on that post, MSP never calls Tinn foolish or punishes him for dreaming big.

Instead, the show has some of Tinn's dreams come true! He gets a boyfriend, he gets to rest his head on Gun's shoulder, kiss Gun, and more. And he gets some cute moments that he never even imagined too, like catching Gun when he tried to grab the poster, etc. (again, there's so many moments I'm not listing them all here).

In summary: MSP had no strung-out or overly dramatic plot lines (we can trust things will be wrapped in some way by the end of the ep), and while things aren't super cute and romantic all the time, romance isn't dead and dreams come true.

So what does this tell us about MSP as a show? I think the main take-away is that MSP is good-hearted.

Sure there will be conflict and drama, but it's never going to be "too much" (read: too unrealistic, drama for the sake of drama). The showrunners wouldn't do that to the characters or to us. The overall tone of the show is loving - there will be some pain and some tears, but that's life. And you know what else life is? Full of love and joy and hope. People are good, dramatic miscommunication isn't the standard, people will communicate and listen and trust each other, cute romantic moments can happen spontaneously.

If we think about MSP specifically as a high school show too: @chickenstrangers in their tags said "msp is the quintessential high school show - you build up expectations so much and sometimes it doesn't go that way, but sometimes it turns out way better than imagined" <- exactly this! Tinn's big dreams feel so high school - he pictures these beautiful romantic moments with his crush and of course they don't work out exactly like that, but they do work out in the end and sometimes even better than he thought. It's not a cynical look at high school/teenagerhood like some media portrays, but full of hope and love. Sure things aren't going to go exactly as planned, and you are going to struggle here and there, but your life isn't over. And to the same point, sure teenagers are dramatic and full of imagination and sometimes a little too much, but they aren't wrong or foolish for loving so intensely and dreaming so big. Their communication isn't going to be perfect, there will be arguments, people won't act in the most mature ways, but these are teenagers! They aren't fully matured yet, they don't have the emotional regulation or life experience or perspective that will allow them to communicate better in the future, but they are on their way there, and they aren't incapable of expressing themselves and understanding others just because they are young either.

Watching MSP feels like being welcomed into a warm hug, a show where you can trust that you (and everyone else) is going to make it out ok. A show where you can trust there won't be eleventh-hour switch ups in character or plot lines just for the drama, a show where you can trust miscommunications/jealousy/secrets/conflicts aren't going to be drawn out unrealistically, a show where you can expect the characters to communicate (not always perfectly, but hey! no one is perfect).

But! It didn't/doesn't feel stale! We might read that description above and think "oh, well if you know things are going to turn out ok, wouldn't that be boring?". But it isn't, because MSP was doing so much interesting and unusual (for a BL) stuff: mixing up the narrative pacing and subverting tropes we come to expect from BLs (I talked about that here and I've got more thoughts coming [edited to add: they're here]), doing "imagination vs. reality" switch outs (I talked about that here), giving us complex characters and friendships, etc. It felt familiar and comforting AND fresh, and that is why it was such a joy to watch every week.

^thanks to @theoryofarson for putting this on my dash right when I was writing this post... this is it!

I also want to shout out this post by @khaothanawat which is so good and also helped me sort out so many of my ideas in this post and others