#i have enough trust gmmtv to know that there will be one

[lyknest]

im not gonna survive thamepo breakup

[ktyekmrf30]

With GMMTV series I always have a clear distinction. When it's a adaptation of a popular novel, I'm quite aware while watching that the script was completely rewritten by the different team, and in most cases it was for the better (it took a lot of effort to make on screen a green flag characters for My School President and Star in My Mind characters and I really mean it, I hope all the scriptwriters got a bonus for how much effort they put into making the couples' relationships in these series healthy - unlike the novel). So yes, I quite clearly separate the characters from the series from those written in the novel. For my sanity and faith in my favorite characters. They're are two completely different people for me.

But there are series where they wrote the script and the novel appeared as an addition and based on the script and team's notes (NLMG, Kidnap, ThamePo). In this case, I perceive the novel as an addition to what the director does not have time to tell about on the screen due to reasons. So this is just something canon about characters for me but unseen in the series.

And with ThamePo? Oh God, my heart cries for Po.

source

I assumed from the first few episodes that he was in a toxic relationship, but I didn't realize how abusive it was. And how much it destroyed Po as a person and now I feel like I looked at him with new eyes.

What hurts even more now is how much Po hasn't lost faith in people and how much his bright naive soul wants to help Thame reunite the group, even if it means he might end up getting hurt again, especially after such a big betrayal from his ex. And that scene where Po remembers Jun's words about how Thame would forget about him once the group reunites? Now it hits me in a completely different way because at that exactly moment Po in his mind was trying to deny the fact that he had met someone like Earn again. Because he had faith in Thame. May sound stupid, but it's just so inherent in his character. And because he and Thame aren't that close at this moment, it wasn't the pain for him, no. It was disappointment. And not so much in Thame but in people in general. I understand him, I experienced it once too.

And that's why the moment when Po decides to enter into a relationship with Thame will be so precious to him. Not only because he decided to start relationship with an idol knowing that it would be hidden and it would be a secret relationship again (like with ex). For him it was also a matter of trust, fear of the situation repeating itself, the question of what he is worth and what he has achieved as an independent human being and how he cannot lose this with new relationship again. Because it will destroys him.

And I can't even begin to write how angry I am about everything involving Earn now. I hate people like him. Uncle Joei and Baifern's words about him make so much sense now after knowing all of this, and yes, that asshole at least needs to go bankrupt in the finale. It's not enough for me to think that Thame is going to punch Earn in the face one day, to protect Po I need a gun.

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Gmmtv 2025

So now, that I have time, I'm actually gonna sit and watch the trailers properly. Let's go.

Dare You to Death - The plot is appealing to me, the cast is interesting. I was never a JD fan so if I decide to watch it will be for all the ensemble and the actual plot.

Head 2 Head - My babies! Forced cohabitation my beloved. I'm gonna pretend I didn't see the vision thingy cause other than that this just seems like a cute bl, and I'm here for that.

Burnout Syndrome - OffGun in a love triangle? Gun being fought over by two men just has god intended? I am so seated for this!

Whale Store xoxo - MilkLove is back and I wanna like this one. It seems cute, and drama light. I'll probably be tuning in.

Only Friends - Dream On - The chill that came down my spine when the song started playing. I left my body. With that said, and like I said before, EarthMix is here, so who am I kidding? I will watch. Kinda surprised to see JossFluke already paired in another bl, before the first one has even started airing. OhmLeng was predictable as a recurring pair and I'm always here for Ohm. Leng has a lot to prove being surrounded by all these names.

That Summer - MOND! Mond kissing boys! That's it.

My Romance Scammer - Not in a million years did I think we would get this OhmFluke combo. Dimples is back kissing boys and Ohm is just back. And MarkJunior seem to be here to stay. Also, I love that since we got gay marriage we should immediately tackle gay divorce. Sounds good.

Melody of Secrets - I'm glad they're back playing adults although the dynamic seems to be the same. I wish they changed it up and let Book be the pursuer. I like the horror elements and we don't get enough of those but I don't know about this one.

Love You Teacher - The first half of this trailer had me. I love Perth and he's playing a grown up so I was sold. And then it happened. And I don't know how I feel about any of it.

MU-TE-LUV - I guess we're getting this and not OurSkyy3. Will watch the queers and the rest we'll see.

Cat for Cash - This is just rude. Do they know that cats are my ultimate weakness? I can't watch all these shows, but a show with talking cats? multiple of them?? C'mon. I'm not even gonna pretend to be torn about this one. I will be watching.

Girl Rules - So, Only Friends but make it sapphic. I'm sad to say, I'll probably pass on this one.

Boys In Love - PAPANG!!! The rumours were true and he's paired with Pod in this. All I saw in this trailer was that and the dimples. Who is that kid? Cause he's adorable. This is the obligatory high-school bl, it looks soft and fluffy. Might check it out.

My Magic Prophecy - I will be skipping this one.

A Dog and a Plane - What a mess of a trailer. But do I care? Not even a little. It's TayNew so I'll be watching with bells on.

Me and Thee - This show will be the true test of how shallow I can get. Will I start a show because Est was wearing glasses in the trailer? Only future me will know. Look, PondPhuwin can play, we know this, but I don't know if I want another show with them so soon. At least they're playing different roles, so there's that.

Wu - Who was saying this wasn't bl? Did you not see the golden thread? And the fate talk? And the looks? And well, everything? It's a bl. I don't know about this one mostly because I don't know the actors. Although tumblr is doing its job well and I'm this close to binging the frenemies show so maybe I'll reevaluate.

Memoir of Rati - I am so easy, it's embarrassing honestly. They so pretty, the scenery is so pretty, historical bl. Sold!

Ticket To Heaven - So many flashbacks to catholic school. It looks good, which doesn't surprise considering it's Aof. I'm glad GeminiFourth are back playing more serious roles. I am really intrigued by this one but also don't trust it completely for some reason. I don't know yet.

Yeah, I'm a sucker. I will be watching most of the first episodes of this line up in like a year when they actually get made. Probably not gonna stick with a lot of them but we'll see. As it's becoming obvious, I'm easy.

Also just a fun fact I guess, and as @lurkingshan as said here, with these shows, 4 couples will hit 5 series as a pair. OffGun, FirstKhao, ForceBook and EarthMix, even though that last one I'm counting Ossan's Love which is also not released yet.

And another thing, of the Gmmtv 2024 QL shows, 7 have yet to premiere. Thame Po, will premiere December 13 but the other six don't have dates yet. They are : My Golden Blood, Ossan's Love, The Ex-Morning, Us, Sweet Tooth Good Dentist and Revamp. So yeah, we're not gonna see any of these new shows anytime soon. Although I'm putting my money on the OffGun series being one of the first to premiere in this line up.

All the trailers and posters for gmmtv2025 can be found here.

[bengiyo]

Peaceful Property: There’s Nothing Noble About Being Poor

Coming off of episode 6 of Peaceful Property, I am feeling some consternation because once again GMMTV has given us a poor character who’d rather be poor than take the money. I’m also frustrated about the baiting of this show, because I don’t like TayNew enough to forgive Home his greed or his cowardice. 

From GMMTV we’ve had Akk having to work his ass off to get to Paris to be with Theo, Mork working his ass off to eventually get back to Day, Sailom not taking money in Dangerous Romance, Sand not taking the money in Only Friends, Kang upending his entire life for Moo in Only Boo! When I looked into stories that seemed to consider the perspective of poor people, only Dark Blue Kiss really seemed to consider the class dynamic of Pete and Kao, and Cooking Crush with Prem taking the needed money. 

This problem isn’t unique to GMMTV, and it’s been something that has annoyed me in global media for decades. We get these kinds of storylines where poor people would rather be poor than take the money of a rich person because rich people fund the media. For them, not taking their money is the harshest punishment they could envision because it’s their primary mechanism for solving problems. However, I come from the Brian Kinney school of thought that “There’s nothing noble about being poor.” On top of that, we know that Pang and Peach have no money, because they’re living in a goddamn bar that Home owns because they have no money. How could they go back to the apartment they got evicted from for lack of payment if this was so? Sure, it’s a TV show, but damn is it annoying that I’m asked to empathize with Home being sad about losing his friends over freaking out about housing security for the people whose lives he ruined.

Now, let’s talk about the lives he ruined. It’s actually so, so much worse that Home was completely sober when he hit Peach and fled the scene. He’s lived a pleasant life this entire time, when he had every reason to believe he killed someone and let his uncle cover it up. I care a lot about the future of cities, and car violence is one of the biggest violent killers of poor people in cities. The fallout of this accident led to Peach’s ongoing terror of ghosts, screwing up badly at work, and his sense of culpability in the death of his mentor. Peach and Pang’s lives are measurably worse because of his injuries, and it baffles me that the show would have Peach take zero compensation from the people who hurt him when he and his sister are struggling. I get Peach being proud in the moment, but I just don’t see a person faced with scarcity of that level choosing to walk away from money that he’s more than owed.

Speaking of Peach, I am so confused by the plotline that has him trusting Home with the food safety of a man he almost killed the last time he worked in a restaurant. It feels like this show just doesn’t take its own violence seriously. The drama of this episode is about Home losing his friends because he wasn’t forthright about the violence he inflicted on them, and they risked Chai-un’s safety to prove that Peach could trust home? Please be serious. They should have tossed out both of those bowls and started over rather than risk that man’s life again. Peach wants to become a chef again, and this is a huge misstep!

I just don’t think I really enjoyed this last episode much at all. I liked seeing Peach not crumble in front of ghosts, but that’s about it. I feel like the show is relying on Newwie’s charm (and TayNew shipping) to have the audience root for his redemption, which I am on the side of Peach wanting nothing to do with that man ever again. He deserves to be angry, and it felt so weird to me that the one lashing out at the end was Home as our focus point. Next week they’re going to be working near each other, and I’m just gonna be irked that once again we have a story about the inherent nobility of poor people who can afford to turn down much needed money to make a rich person sad.

[distant-screaming]

GMM2025 Lineup Game

Rules: write your thoughts on all the gmmtv series pilots released today (or just the ones you plan to watch) and tag any 3 (or more! or less!) ppl whose thoughts you wanna know about!

thank you for the tag @bubbalakebrome!! I actually was writing out my thoughts for @ranchthoughts and thought this was the perfect opportunity to put em up in public too! I'm very fried from exam stuff so if these are poorly worded please forgive me <3

'dee,' you may ask, 'which of these shows are you going to watch?' no idea. I watch stuff after it's done airing, and I'm not sure how much time I'll have next year. still, if I have a positive impression of a show I'm very likely to watch it, so take that as you will!

Dare You to Death - joongdunk: it's....crowded? there's a lot going on, and it feels kind of like they mashed together two separate ideas they had for shows? but I love shows with guns because I get to kill people in my fics so LMAO!! also joongdunk are cool

Head 2 Head - seakeen and surfjava: deeply ambivalent to the actors and I've never seen them before, the plotline seems fine enough but not really my kind of thing? kind of a weird enemies to lovers I think

Burnout Syndrome - offgun + gundew(?): fascinating stuff happening here!! however. unfortunately. I don't really care. offgun are not my thing and the plot doesn't really intrigue me, it just feels dark and edgy in a way that's not my style. gun in black lipstick was something though!!

I Love A Lot of You: LIKE… OKAY GUYS… CAN WE LEAVE THE ABLEISM?? anyway. het show so I wasn't really paying attention, also has kind of split personality disorder but I'm not sure how well gmm will handle it based on their track record? anyway nanon's in it but shrug

Whale Store XOXO - milklove and junemewnich: .........shrug? sorry yuri fans I'm very ambivalent to this one, it feels like fluff the way 23.5 was fluff? not a high school gl at least! I might end up watching this, but I'm not on the edge of my seat for it

Only Friends season 2 - earthmix, ohmleng and jossgawin: INSANE. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this one because (glances at season 1)......theatre kids only friends is incredibly funny though

That Summer - winnysatang, mondryu and neomint: WINNYSATANG MAINS YAY!!! the more amnesia, but it looks interestingly done at least, and it's a jojo show and I trust him. tang being a prince is... this drama has the space to either become overdramatic fanfic or really really good and I'm desperately hoping for the latter. tang's chara is an amnesiac prince. I get to write ballroom dancing scenes. I win. mond kisses a guy which is awesome, neomint is a thing and I am deeply ambivalent to mint

My Romance Scammer - juniormark, ohmfluke: this one's concept is deeply funny to me, but the execution could vary! lowkey the energy it's giving is mame show if mame was not obsessed with blurring consent? trashy fun watch energy. also, ohmfluke doing this one is great because their most well known show is like Heavy and Serious and this one is 'I marry this guy as a gay marriage scam and fall in love'. incredible no notes. also can the actors start naming themselves fluke1, fluke2, ohm1, ohm2

Melody of Secrets - forcebook: YES. YESSSS. THIS ONE'S FOR ME. LITERALLY FOR ME. CLASSICAL MUSIC, HORROR ESQUE PLOT, SEMI MURDER, ESTABLISHED GAY PEOPLE, MAYBE MISTAKEN IDENTITY? INCREDIBLE NO NOTES. also forcebook are like, solid actors for me so yay no issues there! I want my blorbos in incredible angst STAT

Love You Teacher - perthsanta: age regression. also perth's character is just a dick to kids for no discernable reason. amnesia. age regression????

Mu-Te-Luv - multiple pairings (seven I think?) gay ones are ohmleng and seakeen: I'm usually pretty chill with anthology style shows, they're fun enough! jamie's in this one and AHEM CLEARS THROAT I LOVE JAMIE JUTAPICH!!! so. the chances of me watching this are low simply because of my backlog, but it looks interesting enough! also there's ladyboy (I hope that's the right term) characters, and I don't know how good the representation is gonna be but it's there! neo is one of them (??)

Cat for Cash - firstkhao: this is just firstkhao get paid to flirt and play with cats the series, and honestly good for them!! a little supernatural element ie first can hear cats' thoughts, which I'm curious where that will go? but overall very low stakes show, seems like the kind of thing I'd binge in a day. firstkhao are fun. I hope people are capable of being normal about a low stakes show heart emoji. I personally think it's a chill watch but I'm not bouncing off walls excited. first is handsome though

Girl Rules - namtanfilm, milklove, viewmin: high heat messy drama shows I prefer to watch in gifs and skipped around eps, but we love messy lesbian representation always!! view plays a straight (soon to figure out she's not so straight) girl which I think is kind of funny. I hope they make out a lot

Boys in Love - papangpodd, lukemick, astonchokun: hello there, obligatory gmmtv high school show! I'm pretty happy with this one, because the actors are all actually young I'm pretty sure and they're all new so it's a nice start for them, very classic. I don't know any of them. papangpodd are there, and as soon as papang appeared I started crying loud and violent tears because I am deeply and unambiguously in love with him. I hope he commits hr violations on school grounds

My Magic Prophecy - jimmysea, teefranc: it's a doctor x psychic, and it feels like a vice versa but not really. the trailer was kind of boring in the sense of composition and scene choices and such. forced proximity trope, which I sometimes do not really like so this one is on thin ice. no idea who the side pairing are yay

A Dog and A Plane - taynew, marcpoon: banger cast!! I haven't seen taynew in anything yet I don't think? but I've heard good things? marc is my beloved, of course. the plot is incredibly interesting at first look, though the cheating thread kind of bothers me? whether it will win out over my enjoyment of the rest of the trailer is yet to be decided. judgement's still out on this one

Me and Thee - pondphuwin, perthsanta: overdramatic spoiled rich kid pond who is obsessed with lakorns x photographer phuwin. incredibly hilarious dynamic. I enjoy pondphuwin, and I enjoy rich kids who grow. seems interesting for sure

Wu - skynani (bl or bromance? unclear): they really looked at the skynani popularity, said bet filmed one (1) scene and stuck it in the lineup. good for them! I hope they kiss! there's golden thread of fate involved, which is fun. I don't want to watch if it's bromance though, my backlog yearns to be freed as is

Ticket to Heaven: RELIGIOUS TRAUMA AND INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA CATHOLIC EDITION THE SHOW????? FROM G4???? WILD STUFF. WIIIILD. I'm very excited for this one, it seems there's heavy topics so hopefully they're dealt with well. g4 will slay I know already. religious imagery goes hard in fanfic if literally nothing else. I will probably cry with this one. I will still watch it. I was also informed that gem went to a catholic high school. fun!

Tagging: @winnysatang @jojotichakorn @lamonnaie @pondphuwin @jjsanguine @cornflowershade! apologies if any of you have been tagged before <3

[noraigo]

since i'm still overdosed on aouboom cocaine, i wanted to ask a question: if gmmtv2025 announces our desired aouboom series, who would you like to be the director?

in all honesty, i have a couple of directors in my mind which can guide them to a suitable series:

>backaof: out of all directors in gmmtv, i think he’s my favourite albeit his flaws, as any director has. my most beloved bl series of all time is a tale of thousand stars, but i’ve also watched plenty of series that were under his hand that i enjoyed equally, being last twilight the last one. his works mostly highlight unique storytellings which aren’t always settled in cliché colleges. that leads to different kinds of relationships, with slow romance but great character development. cinematography and intimacy are his forte, in my point of view. if he happens to pick them for his next project in 2025, you must get ready for the angst, though. there are times his characters don’t know what happiness is for some time.

>jojo: similarly, i’ve enjoyed his works and his way of directing is quite different from p’aof. his stories mostly focus on different queer experiences, since he bases them on real life situations or is inspired by old-school series/films. personally, he’s a bit darker and much more explicit when it comes to storytelling and his characters hold a depth and complexity that sometimes fall into the grey category. i wholeheartedly believe that aou and boom can portray this description, we only have to take a look at their acting as jeng and pok in hidden agenda, whose relationship was the most complicated out of all their romances they’ve acted in yet still managed to give us a bittersweet story, even with their reduced screentime. what kind of love story would be like? different social status? forbidden romance?

>xiseks: director of vice versa, he led aou and boom to be “shipped” thanks to their characters aou (note: this is so funny to me) and fuse, who had an implied romantic interest at the very end of the series. his style of directing is pleasing, but not to everyone’s taste. xiseks stands out for making small references for his series, like theory of love and classic romance movies and vice versa and the use of classic bl references — and, of course, the use of colors as symbolism. my experience with his series is enjoyable, he manages to capture the peak of a love story and transmit it to the viewers. also, i think he knows aou and boom enough to work with them, as he has worked with them previously like i mentioned before.

i think we can agree that aou and boom deserve their own spotlight in a well-told story, with characters that can easily win our hearts and make their love palpable. considering we are is officially their breakthrough series, many new fans gathered to ask for a series starring them, but it also gathered mixed opinions on whether them being main characters would make them lose their spark or not deliver enough emotion. i 100% believe that their acting and overflowing chemistry are more than enough to keep us hooked. also, they can’t be the secondary couple forever! regardless if gmmtv makes them an official fixed pairing or not, the actors themselves asked for a series with the two of them.

on a positive note, i wasn’t the only one to notice that gmm is doing reruns with series in which aou and boom have appeared before (the eclipse with aou, then vice versa and enchanté with the two of them). though it might be a mere coincidence, i think it’s not delusional to have some hope for the upcoming lineup.

for once, i want to trust very, very little in gmmtv. i just hope it doesn't completely disappoint me.

[projectjasper]

GMM2025 Lineup Game Rules: write your thoughts on all the GMMTV series pilots released (or just the ones you plan to watch) and tag people whose thoughts you wanna know about!

thank u so much @distant-screaming for tagging me yippee 🎉 i am tagging @winnysatang @chezlalune @almayver @ravenlotus @dragonsareawesome123 and literally anyone who wants to be tagged. like, i mean it. if you want to yap about the trailers and you see this post - you have full permission to say i tagged you.

(sorry if you've already been tagged or already talked about it and i haven't seen it!)

my thoughts under the cut 🙂‍↕️ (i have... A LOT to say jgfkdjgkfdg)

i want to preface this by saying i am going to at least attempt watching most of the series (unless i'm like super busy or something), but i will be placing these in order of most interested to least interested!

ME AND THEE: is anyone surprised? no? i figured. yeah, it's a bl with pond. that sort of guarantees an immediate obsession. that said! i am genuinely in love with the premise as well. the "i help you get together with someone else but we actually fall in love in the process" situation is ripe ground for mutual pinning, which is my all-time favourite trope. the role of thee is also exactly what pond has been saying he wants to play next - on the surface a bad boy, but peel off some layers and he is gentle and kind and a little bit broken. and it's in the bag! there is also a reason why he said they are quite similar, which i assume is mostly a reference to the amount of romance dramas pond has binge watched, which is quite charming, both of him and of thee. phuwin also seems to fit into peach's shoes really well and i am excited for whatever est will bring to the role of thee's only confidant/friend/bodyguard. it is also directed by x, who has previously directed 'vice versa' (my beloved), so all of it sounds incredibly promising.

GIRL RULES: when jojo said that he was listening to charlie xcx and thinking about writing a messy gl, i was not sure if he was serious, but apparently he was, and thank fucking gods for that! i am going to love this the same way i loved only friends, the cast is just immaculate - i am a particular fan of namtan and milk, but i honestly love everyone in that lineup and i am excited to see what the mixed dynamics will look like as well (not that i don't adore milklove and namtanfilm). every little storyline that we got briefly introduced to intrigued me immensely - this is definitely a recipe for success.

ONLY FRIENDS DREAM ON: once again, only friends is in my top five favourite dramas of all time, boston - who is one of my favourite characters of all time - is being brought back, even if just for a cameo, and there is an absolute banger of a lineup too. gawin is one of my particular favourites, i am sure we are all already obsessed with jossgawin, i am also a huge fan of both earth and ohm, and i generally enjoy earthmix and ohmleng's dynamics. aside from all that, the whole series is, of course, going to be a glorious mess! and, as one of the few people who watched ofts expecting a mess, instead of a moral lesson, and who enjoyed it immensely, i could not be more excited for this. despite the fact that it will not be directed by jojo himself, he did help with producing it, and ninew worked on both the warp effect and only friends with jojo, so i trust him to do it justice.

THAT SUMMER: while many people compared this series to 'never let me go', it is obviously a ridiculous comparison. lava is very simple, a little crude, has no problem bullying wave a little, and gets into fights for the sake of getting into fights, meanwhile wave is gentle, regal, ethereal, and somehow almost wise (probably because - as an actual prince - he has had a lot of particular responsibilities since childhood). none of these descriptions would fit palm and nueng, both the characters and the dynamic in 'that summer' are completely different. but i am sure you are smart enough to figure out that just because it falls under the commoner/heir trope and has a beach in it, doesn't mean it's the same as nlmg. not that you need to be very smart for that. there is also a very clear throughline of secret relationships - mond and ryu's characters deal with homophobia alone, while lava and wave will have to deal with homophobia and their status disparity. it looks incredibly interesting, it is once more directed by my lord and saviour jojo tichakorn and it is starring winny and satang in their first well-deserved solo main roles. jojo has also brought mond back to gay it up a second time after ofts (i appreciate the 'not me' reparations) and ryu understandably jumped ship for the sake of jojo, mond, or both. neo is also there! who we love and who always acts so well under jojo's watchful gaze. looking forward to it!

MY MAGIC PROPHECY: jimmysea are back from the land of ableism and aof's horrors and i could not be happier! 'vice versa' is one of my favourite series, i absolutely adore jimmy and sea, but they have been lost to me since then, and i am eternally happy i have now gotten them back. this is especially a huge relief, as i thought they would have no more series after jimmy said that he was going back to university. the premise of the series itself seems unique as well and is incredibly intriguing, so i am definitely tuning in for this one.

MELODY OF SECRETS: cannot say i am personally a huge fan of thrillers or horror, but i shall certainly make an exception for the gays. the plot looks wild (in a good way) and i cannot wait to see where it goes. force and book are, of course, both my beloveds, and these are the kind of roles they are both long overdue. also on my must-watch list.

A DOG AND A PLANE: my mental connection to jojo is a real thing, because - despite potential reservations - i fell in love with this trailer and will surely fall in love with the series. even before marcpoon showed up (who - of course - have a very special place in my heart), i just found there to be something particularly charming about the premise and the dynamic. i am watching this one for sure.

DARE YOU TO DEATH: we are slowly getting into slightly more dicey territory starting with this series. i love chen. that is enough for me to definitely give this series a try regardless. the rest of the cast is also so fun - especially earn, pahn, and june. but ugh. cops doing cop things. booooring.

BURNOUT SYNDROME: dew is finally gaying it up in this one, which i congratulate him with sincerely. it is also directed by nuchy, who previously directed 'not me', the vibes of which i loved but the message of which was often times messy. this seems to be pure vibes, so i might like it! we will see!

CAT FOR CASH: "oh wow, archer lost all his sense of whimsy" you might say in response to me putting this series so low, but i will have you know my sense of whimsy is completely intact! i find the premise silly in a very /pos way and literally the only reason why it is here is because the foundation of this series is a complicated relationship between a parent and a child, which i fear does not get handled well most of the time in media. so i am wary, but i will certainly give it a try and i am sure i will enjoy the other aspects.

WHALE STORE XOXO: directed by golf, the man who gifted me with my beloved 'enchante', and starring not only milklove, but also june and mewnich (as a new pair no less) and piploy, this has the potential to be amazing, as long as the actual premise delivers. so far, i cannot say it caught my attention in any particular way, but i will give the series a try and we'll see how it goes!

BOYS IN LOVE: unlike most people, i love me a high school drama. you can go a lot of places in it and some of those places aren't my cup of tea, but so far i am mildly excited. chokun jumping into a bl to actually be a boy in love with no reservations is exciting to see too and hey! poddpapang! that's awesome!

TICKET TO HEAVEN: after being given so many blessings this year, i could not possibly leave without at least one curse. fourth and gemini, our beloved little guys and magnificent actors, are starring in a series that - on the surface - seems incredibly interesting and takes them into a whole new acting avenue. alas, it is directed by aof, a man with such consistent horrific messaging on serious issues ranging from parental abuse all the way to disability, that if i have faith in anything, it is that the message of this series will be botched in some particularly horrifying way i cannot even conceive of myself. will i still watch it? yes. i love gem and fourth too much to skip this one. but good gods.

MY ROMANCE SCAMMER: this has the potential to interest me. i do not guarantee it, but the possibility is there. the cast is fun, i'm happy to see both fluke and ohm are back to bls, i love kapook, the premise could work if done well. we shall see!

MEMOIR OF RATI: i must confess something - i am not the biggest fan of period dramas like this. the era, the vibes, they just don't usually do anything for me. an attempt will be made, but i cannot promise anything.

HEAD2HEAD: while the main characters (thus far) have not inspired much interest in me, javasurf's little second chance romance situation absolutely did. i have been known to watch series for the secondary couple alone and i come into it with the exact right amount of expectations (very few), but the series is this low because the central plotline i do not care for at the moment.

WU: i am not on the skynani train (at least not yet) and this trailer was basically just one scene, but the premise looked quite interesting and there is a possibility that i will watch it! that said, it could go into so many different directions from here due to the limited amount of information that not only we, but they have (considering the fact that nani said the characters are still in development), i cannot say anything for certain.

MU-TE-LOVE: from what i understand, this is going to be a collection of stories, and of this collection i will pick and choose. i will probably watch "queen of queens", "nine temples?", and "fortune says hi", but not the rest. that simple and discriminatory, yes. heterophobia alive and well in our society smh.

LOVE YOU TEACHER: good gods... listen. technically. TECHNICALLY. this premise could maybe work. somehow. but i think our scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should. cause why? WHY? i love perth, i do. but i fear that even he might not be able to persuade me to watch this.

I LOVE "A LOT OF" YOU: gmmtv continues filling its ableism quota, with a sprinkle of heterosexual romance no less. no thank you. the only series i'm not even gonna touch.

[miusmusings]

Gmmtv 2025 Thoughts Tag Game

Rules: write your thoughts on all the gmmtv series pilots released today (or just the ones you plan to watch) and tag any 3 (or more! or less!) ppl whose thoughts you wanna know about!

We actually have quite an assortment of shows this year, so much variety!! Woo!! And very little school and uni too, count me a happy cow!

Dare You To Death - I'm not a big fan of JoongDunk (tho I do enjoy Joong alone), but the story is interesting. But it doesn't stand out much with all the offering we have from gmm this year. Will I watch this? If I'm very bored/in a watchy mood and this comes up on my yt page

Head to Head - I'm sold on the chemistry but the story is an old one. I do enjoy a good enemies to lovers, but unless it gets stellar reviews from folks here, i won't be taking a peek

Burnout Syndrome - THE SHOW THAT COULD HAVE HAD IT ALLL. It had OffGun, it has Dew. Gmm could have gone along and given us whole OffDewGun tbh. Oh well. I don't much enjoy love triangles, but GOTH GUN? WITH BLACK LIPSTICK??? and EVERYTHING Dew and Gun have going together? Don't mind if i do~

I Love "A Lot Of" You - Nanon was interesting in the trailer but it's straight. so.

Whale Store xoxo - cuteeee girliessss. what else does one need! The story hasnt captured my heart but ig i'll give it a try. if i'm bored and have time.

Only Friends: Dream On - THEY BROUGHT BACK MY HORRIBLE TERRIBLE AWFUL UPTO NO GOOD BLORBO?? and earthmix?? and JossGawin?? AND NEO??? I have been SCREAMING for months to see Boston going back to wreck-havoc-of-ppl lifestyle again and this. was an absolute dream come true. Tbh I didn't dream this big lmao. And it reminds me of a danmei i read recently so double yay! It does looks messy tho, and messiness stresses me out unless it's very well done so.... I'll start it, but idk if i'll finish it (much like the og Only Friends)

That Summer - It does look cute... but... hmm.... unless it's a real good story. i'll have to pass on. Nothing personal but with so many good shows, it's hard making time for mediocre ones (and like... real life obligations exist sob sob sob)

My Romance Scammer - I love the story line (con artists woot woot!) but the strength of the pairings remain to be seen. I'll wait for the reviews u.u

Melody of Secrets - I do love the aesthetics of this! And forcebook are great together. But the overall story line... Please don't start strong and fizzle out later, gmm, not on a good one like this!

Love You Teacher - Well i am Fascinated ✨✨I saw some 'ehhh' feelings in the show tags, but I've always loved the strange storylines so let's gooooo!! I'll watch this just to see what they're cooking, strength of storyline aside. And like PerthSanta are pretty on the screen together, they sold this series to me!

Mu Te Luv - I didn't see the trailer when it aired (needed to get me some water) and i haven't managed to gather enough motivation to see it yet. so.

Cat for Cash - CATS?????? MANY CATS???? YES. COUNT ME IN. And FK look good together too. I've been on and off with Fk over the years. Eclipse was meh. Moonlight Chicken was great. Only Friends had highs and lows. This is more cats than fk for me but i'm sat for this

Girl Rules - messy messy girlies. ON one hand i don't like mess ( i struggled to watch OF and skipped the middle eps), on the other hand - the ladies. Again, I'll start this but who knows if I'll be able to watch it all the way. I do HOPE i can watch all the way but if there's one thing in ik then t's that i can't ever trust my brain to finish smt :')

Boys In Love - I'm.... not sold. But I can see why we might need a few predictable, overdone bls. And I don't blame gmm, tho i won't be watching.

My Magic Prophecy - I do like JimmySea together but I'm not sold on the story. I'll be waiting for the reviews for this one too

A Dog and A Plane - TayNew have never disappointed me AND the story looks great! Predictable, but we enjoy easy romcoms in this household. I'll be watching this one :D

Me And Thee - again, i can never hate an easy, predictable romcom that's up my alley! And the pilot made me realize just how damn pretty Pond Naravit is. Like ik he's pretty, but this was downright illegal. I'm parking myself here more for Pond's face than the story, but i do hope they give us a good one, or i'll probably leave this unfinished, too :')

Wu - I've heard the talks about SkyNani.... and they do look good. But the pilot was too vague. I'll wait for the actual trailers to air.

Memoir of Rati - Historic bl??? in my life?? YES AND THANK YOU. I didn't manage to finish Wandee Goodday but that was cause of the story. GreatInn and always great. And also AouBoom??? Class difference?? Potential long distance relationship?? Maybe a bit of colonial hints? Delicious~

Ticket To Heaven - Now I ain't christian, but damn me if catholic guilt and religious imagery isn't peak aesthetics and feels. This gives me very missionary school vibes we have in the local here, and i've grown up hearing all about them even if i didn't see it directly (and thank heavens for that!) Also GemFourth are always a treat ❤️

No pressure tags: @ohanny @le-trash-prince @valentinaonthemoon

@enigmaharper @bubbalakebrome @persistinghorrors

@gaiaxygang @mrs-lunna @binary5tar1117

@poetry-protest-pornography @neolynne @doublel27 and every person who sees this! Join innnn :D

[heretherebedork]

I can’t sleep so I’m choosing to be evil (but only a little bit evil). Can you rank the shows you’re currently watching from favorite to least favorite? I mean, I’m pretty sure I know your top 3 but I’m curious about the rest

Funnily enough, I was thinking about doing this! Perfect timing. And you do know the top three. Absolutely do.

See Your Love: My beloved EVERYTHING. The finest boys in all the land, the best show I watch every week, just the best of everything that I love so, so much.

Caged Again: This show was just absolutely written for me and I love every single second of these boys and their relationships and how the exploration of queer issues through animals turned into humans is more nuanced than a lot of 'deep' shows are. Beloved babies.

Your Sky: Fake dating when one character is in love and the other is slowly falling in love and everyone around them sees that makes me so happy.

Our Youth: I mean, I fully expect a tragic ending and this show is going to hurt like the dickens but it's so good and the boys are so good and so, so well developed. A+.

Heart Killers: Look, I like this show but I need to turn the corner and get to Kant and Style falling in love before I'll truly be Totally And Utterly Invested at this point. Watching them manipulate Fadel and Bison is never gonna be my favorite part.

Fourever You: It's a mess but it's my mess.

Thame Po: I fell for the first episode. So far, so good. But also GMMTV and the episode did pause for a music video but it was fun and I really like Po.

Spare Me Your Mercy: I am enjoying these boys and the drama and everything that is Constantly Happening but, alas, deeply philosophical is not my nature.

LoveSick 2024: Yes, I'm enjoying it. But the cast is too big for me and I keep getting lost in All The Characters because I am bad at this, okay? So I love it but I also get lost in every episode.

Petrichor: We finally got my gaybies on the side! The boys exist and if they have to be murder husbands, they can be, whatever.

Haunted Hearts: Honestly, a surprisingly good Pinoy BL from Oxin films that actually held together even if the ending is sad and the plot got weird in the last two episodes.

Stealing From My Ceo: Look, I just need them to give us more episodes. I know they're coming soon. I liked what I had but I need more damnit.

Teenager Judge: I want this to be higher, damnit, I do! But it's just stalled out a bit and that's so, so common for O2 shows. I'm hopeful for more, honestly. Please.

Winter is Not the Death of Summer but the Birth of Spring: I want to like this more than I am and I am struggling with keeping up with it so I dunno what I'm gonna do about that.

Love in the Air Koi: ... Look, it's better than the original ion the second half so far but the fucking scene is coming soon and I don't trust it at all, not even a little bit.

Perfect 10 Liners: My fucking god are Arc and Arm over yet?!?!? NO!?!?! WHY NOT!?!?!?!

[yellowaugustnights]

a list of what I will watch (purely for me, so as not to forget):

Thriller \ detective story. Jesus, they finally did it. I'm skeptical about Dunk's acting, but I'll make an exception for this project.

2. what happens if you take the tallest guy in gmmtv and pair him with the smallest guy in gmmtv? I'm skeptical about Dew's acting (I put it mildly enough), but I adore OG, that's why we're here. I'm not sure about the plot. No matter how good "not me" is, I still have a lot of questions about this series. therefore, I hope that everything will be much better here. Oh, and there's Thor here. so yes, watch.

3. Thriller \ detective. FB is finally alone, without minor couples. the plot tickles the nerves. I can't even put into words how much I love it and I'm so excited about it.

4. I love Jojo so much for his dirt. a man is not afraid to shoot provocative things, where there is a lot of dirt, betrayal, casual relationships and sex. I adore this man for bringing stories to an adult audience. I'm looking forward to this series with pleasure.

5. only friends for a girls. dirt, infidelity, betrayal, casual relationships, hot sex. Jojo, once again, I love you. indulge in debauchery, I'm ready to watch it with great pleasure.

6. a historical drama. it will be an expensive project that will not have oishi. the plot, the pitch, the cast - this series will count on awards.

7. Jesus, what a great topic to discuss! and it will never lose relevance. GF still looks too young to get out of student topics, and I didn't expect them to be given an adult plot, but this school topic is the only exception to the list. I'll be looking forward to it. A closed community, exploring sexuality, falling in love-oh, it's going to be pretty damn dramatic. I trust Aof in some things, but I'm very skeptical about some things. I hope he doesn't force the boys to break up in episode 11. The series will also be eligible for awards.

8. JS will return to my screen as actors, hallelujah! I'm nomnom since the founding of the fandom and I knew that many people wanted this story for JS, but I was not one of these people. The trailer doesn't impress me at all. it's sluggish and not able to catch the eye, and also this dull color - it worked for FB trailer, but it doesn't work here. I really wanted a dirty story for them. Lovely JS, who have already been seen in these roles three times, will be here again *sighs* but like I said, I'm going to watch it because I need JS-actors. not singers, not members of fanmeets, actors. I know they will do everything in their power to make it work. I hope they have a good script that doesn't have shitty cliches, God knows I'm tired of it. I'll just wait for the official trailer (another year, probably😢) and maybe it will work better for me than it does now.

8,5. Mb FK, Mb TN, Mb PS

[chaos0pikachu]

Did you see the ending of Last Twilight? What did you think of it?

Personally I tuned into LT for 1 episode and it just didn't catch me at all but I'm nosy, so I've been reading the posts that cross my dash. I won't say I know everything but from the reactions of the people who have watched it - it's clear it's not good.

Then I came across a post that was smt like: We don't trust Jojo. We can't trust Aof smt smt. And that got me thinking.

You've said you don't like GMMTV shows, iirc. That they are more a product being sold than a story being told. And that's what I remembered reading the above post.

I also realized the last GMMTV BL to hold my interest was The Eclipse and even that went messy towards the end. Somehow GMMTV continues to make bad shows and continues to keep getting praise for it(until people realize this is a shit show from the get go). Though I am glad that people are recognizing how well made the BLs from other companies are. I think part of it has to do with being palatable. Even at it's worst Only Friends was nowhere near horny enough, like many other BLs, and that was GMMTV's horniest show. Also they put their stuff out on YouTube which makes it accessible to everyone. That ease / lack of barrier to entry means a majority of the fandom, especially new fans would end up at GMMTV. Then there is the fact that these shows just keep getting recommended. If someone made a shows to watch list - some GMMTV show is on there with a warning 'badly done ending'.

That makes me think GMMTV has gotten cocky. They want to pump out as much as they can and suck as much money as they can from the fans. I get running a business but it's detrimental to the company in the long run when none of it's BLs in a whole year managed to stick the landing. Perhaps they just don't care. It reminds me of corruption. Think of it in a metaphorical way. It's a short term solution that creates some money but will create long term problems. (Well I don't think GMMTV will be affected that much. It's just an interesting thought.)

So what are your thoughts?

~ Fork Around

omg is hating gmmtv shows becoming ✨my brand✨ cause that would be so fucking funny

for home players I don't actually "hate" gmmtv or the studios shows I just think fandom, at large, overhypes them to fuck when in reality all the ones I've watched I've found them to be thoroughly mediocre in regards to both narrative and film making.

To answer your first question, no I didn't watch Last Twilight, not out of any moral~~~ reason or whatever the hell, just cause I didn't want to. It didn't look interesting or appealing to me so I didn't bother. I'm picky about what things I watch b/c I'm hella fucking lazy lol am I gonna spend 12+ hours watching a mid show from gmmtv or am I gonna spend that same amount of time watching like, Marry My Husband? The latter, I'm choosing the latter. Hell, I'd rather watch Wing Chun which has less budget than Last Twilight does b/c Michelle Yeoh even at her earliest can act circles - also bonus Donnie Yen as her love interest!! - around any actor at gmmtv.

God people are gonna now think I think all the gmmtv actors can't act, I don't think that, the ones I've seen range from bad, to fine, to good. Calm down I'm not after your faves, and I can only name like four dudes that are signed at gmmtv anyway.

Then I came across a post that was smt like: We don't trust Jojo. We can't trust Aof smt smt. And that got me thinking.

man the folks in fandom who keep deifying directors should like, stop. Y'all are just setting yourselves up for disappointment. It's giving Joss Whedon's fanbase for real. Like Spielberg directed Schindler's List and Ready Player One okay? No one director bats a thousand every round.

Somehow GMMTV continues to make bad shows and continues to keep getting praise for it(until people realize this is a shit show from the get go). [...] I think part of it has to do with being palatable. Even at it's worst Only Friends was nowhere near horny enough, like many other BLs, and that was GMMTV's horniest show. Also they put their stuff out on YouTube which makes it accessible to everyone. That ease / lack of barrier to entry means a majority of the fandom, especially new fans would end up at GMMTV. Then there is the fact that these shows just keep getting recommended. If someone made a shows to watch list - some GMMTV show is on there with a warning 'badly done ending'.

Okay so like, I've had a lot of thoughts about this in general since gmmtv shows do make up a mass majority of The BL Fandom in general.

The way I would break this down is into factors:

Parasocial relationships (between the audience and actors)

Palatable Brand (queerness packaged in a non-threatening and non-challenging way with simple, low stakes stories typically about acceptance, and romance aka squeecore romances)

Accessibility (being available on youtube for free)

Easily consumable (b/c the shows are low stakes and non-challenging they're really easy binge watches, and since gmmtv puts out like 50 of these things a year fans just move on to the next one really quickly. Have y'all noticed that there's like, a general lack of fan works in BL fandom? It's usually just weekly episode meta posts and weekly gifsets but not a ton of fan art and fanfic is made for these shows)

Consuming vs Engaging (a trend I see in general in regards to BL fandom is this seemingly need to watch like as many BL shows as possible even moving on as quickly as possible to the next show instead of sitting with the show and building a community around said show, the only exceptions I've really seen to this is kinnporsche and slightly love in the air & bad buddy)

I'm gonna break these things down further underneath the cut:

Parasocial Relationships

"Parasocial relationships are one-sided relationships, where one person extends emotional energy, interest and time, and the other party, the persona, is completely unaware of the other’s existence. Parasocial relationships are most common with celebrities, organizations (such as sports teams) or television stars." (source)

Gmmtv is really, really good at creating para-social relationships between the audience and their actors. How many people were willing to give Ray the benefit of the doubt and write sad woobie meta after one singular episode of Only Friends simply b/c Khao was playing the char? How many people were rooting for SandRay and TopMew simply b/c they liked FirstKhao and ForceBook?

Not everyone, obviously, but from my observations on tumblr, twitter, reddit, and youtube, a fuckton did this. Even unintentionally, I saw fans do this. Like ignoring Ray calling Sand a whore, or just...everything about the clusterfuck that was Top and Mew's relationship. Double standards were abound in Only Friends fandom when it came to how fandom treated chars like Mew, Ray and even Sand (especially Ray) in comparison to Boston. Not gonna get into that here - wait for the podcast episode to drop y'all - but it's an example.

Branded couples are gmmtv's bread and butter when it comes to their BL. They sell sticker sheets and postcard packets like these actors are kpop idols. The gmmtv house party thing or whatever trends on twitter. The studio directly encourages fans to grow attached to their actors specifically so they foster a para-social attachment so they can sell you the next six ForceBook, or OffGun or whoever show with the same or slightly different concept - this time they're in an office au! this time they're in a coffee shop au! - its just RPF at this point with extra steps. Not everyone~ obviously but a good chunk of people watched Dangerous Romance b/c they liked Perth and whoever his partner is. A lot of people checked out Cooking Crush b/c of OffGun.

I'm not saying this is a "bad" thing, one of the reasons I'm interested in watching Abigail is b/c of Melissa Barrera. So like I do get it, but as much as I enjoy Melissa her character in Abigail might be like, badly written. Who knows. I really enjoy Angie Jolie but lord knows she's had some awful roles and films.

Because of this emphasis on branded couples and para-social relationships, this effects the quality of the story b/c not every actor they pick for whichever show is the right actor. Earth was the wrong actor to play Jim in Moonlight Chicken, he just was. When Wen says he "likes old people" or someone makes a boomer joke about Jim I'm like that's a 29 yr old man. It takes me directly out of the story. It's no different than Jennifer Lawance playing a 40+ yr old woman in American Hustle at like 26. It's ridiculous.

Why NOT pair Mix up with an older actor who could also better play a world weary older man? Because it's not about The Story, it's about how much merch gmmtv can sell you or how many tickets they can sell to an EarthMix fan meet.

Palatable Brand/Easily Consumable

Gonna get myself in trouble, look gmmtv is a mix of Disney for gays and CW for gays. All the shows from gmmtv I've watched have 1) followed a very basic romance arc throughline, 2) been overall non-challenging in terms of narrative ideas or risks and 3) are straightforward in both film making style and narrative direction.

I have not watched every single gmmtv show nor will I cause again I am fucking lazy, but out of the ones I have watched this is how I feel about them.

Their shows tend to be about self-acceptance and romance. Which is FINE. I'm not saying this is a bad thing!! It's just boring after the 65th show about the subject. Especially when gmmtv doesn't care enough to cast actors that are right for the roles and give their crew a second light or five more nickels to the budget.

Sorry but 2gether is a poorly filmed show. 1000 Stars, imo, is thoroughly overhyped for how poorly paced it is, and how thin the actual story is (wait for the podcast ep on THAT lmao)

But these shows are comfortable and comforting. This is a neutral statement. You can like squeecore shows all you want I'm just saying that's part of the mass appeal of them. They're like the MCU films, they suggest the ideas of leftish politics just enough but don't really say anything further then that. And at times even enforce some harmful rhetoric - like the slut shaming in only friends and this ending to last twilight. They're just comfortable, easy shows that people can watch First and Khao in, enjoy their scenes, and then immediately move on to the next First and Khao show - hope they play street racers next! - without much of a thought.

Because these shows are pretty "safe" in terms of the depiction of queerness and sex it also makes them more palatable to mass recommend. When people make lists for what to show non-BL watches I usually see a lot of these "palatable" shows, stuff with straightforward romances, a couple kisses, fade-to-black sex. It's less based on genre preferences and more based on "what's the least scary thing we can recommend to folks". You see ppl do this with anime too. Everything gets lumped together under the sub-genre which is a shame (and also feels a bit xenophobic but I ain't getting into that).

But like, if I knew my friend was into fantasy gay shit I'd recommend them like, The Sign for live action, Drug and Drop for manga, Revolutionary Girl Utena for anime, Word of Honor and/or Legend of Yunze for (censored but still super gay) live action. I haven't read any fantasy bl/gl manwha yet so drop recs if y'all have some.

Accessibility

This one is pretty self-explanatory. We've seen how accessibility can increase a shows reach from Avatar getting a resurgence when it appeared on Netflix, where as, a show like Playboyy is gonna have a smaller reach since it's mainly available on streaming platforms like Gaga.

Consuming vs Engaging

gmmtv puts out the most Thai BLs period. This is just a fact of the industry. When you put out that much the quality of your media is going to go down - again we saw this with Disney regarding Star Wars and the MCU - because the goal is to sell merch not the stories. (Disney gets most of their sales via their parks and merch not their box office returns).

I see a lot of Big BL Blogs recommending gmmtv shows all the time, and I see a lot of these blogs and the fandom at large consuming these shows rather than engaging with said show. It becomes more of a challenge to watch 49 BLs, writing a quick meta post/review on them, and then moving on to the next one. There's a lack of higher end engagement, people aren't sitting with these shows and exploring the nooks of them. The empty spaces, the potential.

Probably b/c there's not a lot TO explore in regards to gmmtv shows, they all end pretty definitively. The couple goes through their couple journey, end up together, usually with marriage or an engagement, either way the promise of being together forever. Which is, again, fine, there's just not a lot of meat there to explore further.

This isn't specific to gmmtv shows - Domundi's shows come to mind regarding this too like Naughty Babe ends very definitively - but people just move on to the next one. They write episode-to-episode meta, end of show meta/recaps, make some gifs, move on to the next thing. It doesn't help that a lot of characters in gmmtv shows are thin and their worlds are empty.

But I think what attracts people is the constant churn of content. gmmtv shows are like tiktok videos, you scroll, watch, scroll to the next. Keep things quick and moving.

Where is the BL fanfic???

Moonlight Chicken only has 389 once you remove 1000 Stars, My School President, and Thai RPF works. Only Friends has 809 but only after also removing Only Friends RPF, Thai Actor RPF, 1000 Stars, The Eclipse, The Eclipse RPF, and Moonlight Chicken. 1000 Stars only has 292 once you remove similar crossovers (and a lot of RPF). My School President is down to 609 fics once you get rid of all the RPF and crossovers.

For comparison, kinnporsche has 11,444 fics even with all the RPF and crossovers removed.

I'm losing steam here at the end. These are a lot of thoughts, and I know they're not 100% articulate. These are just some general feelings and observations regarding gmmtv shows and fandom.

I'm NOT saying all~~~~ gmmtv show "bad" - though most I do think on a technical level are filmed very averagely with only MLC and Not Me breaking any molds - nor is anyone "wrong" or "bad" for liking idk Cooking Crush or Cherry Magic. I don't care like what you like bro.

I do think fandom overall overhypes gmmtv shows for a lot of factors - whether it's b/c they like the actors and feel that para-social pull towards them, or b/c they just like the squeecore comfort of these shows, or some mix of both - I think fandom would have an easier time if they just treated gmmtv shows are they are - average.

It's fine to be average and made for mass consumption. I like cheetos too dude. These shows don't have to be the peak of queer cinema to be valid, or for you to be "valid" for liking them. Why do any of us need to be "valid" in terms of the media we engage with? Who fucking cares? Like what you like, it doesn't have to be The Best Thing To Ever Gay for you to be valid for liking it. It doesn't have to "be important" either it can be gushers or twizzlers eat your snacks and enjoy life.

Just stop telling me it's a 4 star steak dinner or getting mad when you're charged 60 dollars for gushers.

[stormyoceans]

monica im gonna need you to verbalise what the birthday scene did to you because i've been on the lookout for your reaction.. i know youre barely human rn so whenever you feel like it ofc 🥰

PETRI IT'S SO VERY SWEET OF YOU TO WANT TO KNOW MY REACTION TO THE MOST INSANE 20 MINUTES OF TELEVISION EVER PUT TO FILM BUT IM AFRAID I WON'T EVER BE MENTALLY FIT ENOUGH TO PUT INTO WORDS THE AMOUNT OF PAIN SUFFERING TORMENT AGONY ANGUISH SADNESS DESPAIR DEVASTATION DESPONDENCY HEARTBREAK AND DIVINE WRATH I WENT THROUGH WATCHING THAT ENTIRE SCENE LIKE I WAS GENUINELY WHITE KNUCKLING MY WAY THROUGH IT JUST GNAWING ON FURNITURE TO PREVENT MYSELF FROM GOING ON A KILLING SPREE AND PETROL BOMBING THE GMMTV HEADQUARTERS

i also feel like most people came out of the episode bawling their eyes out for mork and wanting to talk about him, and of course im no different, but at the same time im literally genuinely truly sincerely honest to god fr not kidding when i tell you i could spend the rest of my life talking about day and how good (and underrated) of a character he is. the frankly insane amount of thoughts and feelings i have about him basically overshadowed everything else EXCEPT FOR THE MURDEROUS RAGE I FELT TOWARDS AUGUST. and like.. the thing i appreciate the most about p’aof’s characters is that they’re all incredibly complex and nuanced, there are no heroes and no villains in his stories (despite what night says), so i do think that august cares about day and didn’t have any malicious intent, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions and august’s ones were wrapped up in so much ableism and selfishness since the very beginning, because he never really tried to understand day or think about what would actually make day happy, he just tried to lessen his own guilt for all the times he made day wait hours for him to show up, for all the matches he made them lose because his temper flared up, for all the forgotten birthdays, for not returning day’s feelings. i don’t want to hate august but the pity he feels for day and the guilt that stemmed from it ended up making day’s deepest fear come true and hurting him in ways august can’t even imagine AND IT MAKES ME SO ANGRY

mork’s anger was so relatable because mork, just like the audience, knows. he’s the only one who knows, not just about day’s heartbreak, but also about august’s words cutting much deeper than a simple rejection. this is exacly the reason day isolated himself and begged his mom not to tell anyone about him losing his sight, and the worst part is that august said all that to mork as if day wasn’t even there, as if he was invisible. honestly i could write a whole other post just about this scene and mork’s anger and the tear running down mork’s cheek not for himself but for day and day taking mork’s hand to stop him from hurting august and mork LETTING HIM and the hug but im sure other people already did better than i ever could and this is already getting way too long so let’s just say that the mental health crisis intervention team that’s always in the room with me when i watch this show had their hands full trying to sedate me (and to think that this was the better outcome too like.. imagine if mork hadn't come back. imagine if august had just walked away leaving day alone with no explanation whatsoever and no way of getting home by himself. KILLING AND MAIMING AND BITING AND TEARING AND RIPPING AND CLAWING AND STABBING AND PUNCHING AND KICKING AND MURDERING)

this mess with august is also making me both appreciate and hurt for day and gee’s friendship because she’s the only person from day’s past who isn’t treating him any differently and who is genuinely trying to understand him, and day TRUSTED her, when he needed someone and mork wasn’t there she is the one he called out for, which is HUGE, but he still isn’t ready to fully open up to her and you can tell this is hurting gee a little because she just wants to be there for him, especially after not being able to for an entire year. unlike everyone else, tho, she respects day’s boundaries and is gonna wait for him to come to her when he’s ready, so it pains me to think that what happened with august might push day towards isolation again (like i know mork isn’t gonna let that happen, but i think day is gonna have a hard time hanging out with other people again, at least for a while) WHICH IS WHY I NEED GEE TO DO WHAT DAY STOPPED MORK FROM DOING AND SLAP SOME SENSE INTO AUGUST

AND OKAY LIKE LET’S TALK ABOUT MORKDAY EVEN IF THINKING ABOUT THEM FOR TOO LONG MAKES ME WANT TO THROW MY WHOLE ASS SELF DOWN A WELL AND DROWN IN 5 CM OF WATER AND ALSO AS WE’VE ALREADY ESTABLISHED IM CLEARLY VERY BIASED TOWARDS DAY EVEN IF I DO TRY TO BE AS OBJECTIVE AS POSSIBLE BUT ALSO LISTEN. people out there blaming day for not falling at mork’s feet right away and hurting mork’s feelings by preferring august (which is not entirely true btw) can meet me in the pit and i don’t wanna get into this here since im just rambling and digressing from what you originally asked way too much, but the point is. people look at this as if emotions are completely clear cut and day can’t both have residual feelings for august and some blooming ones for mork that he isn’t fully aware of, and also everyone seems to forget that day can’t see and mork is his caretaker and he has no idea how much of mork being nice to him is mork actually liking him or mork just doing his job. all of this to say that MY BOY DAY WAS THRILLED AT THE IDEA OF SPENDING HIS BIRTHDAY WITH MORK OKAY??????? HE WAS HAPPY AND EXCITED AND GIFTED MORK HIS FAVORITE PERFUME AFTER SPRAYING IT ON HIM (i could act like a 12 years old and make a joke about day spraying himself on mork since the name of the perfume is ‘day time’ but i won’t because im better than that) [no im not] AND COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT EVER KNOWING SOMEONE NAMED AUGUST. so to hear mork say that he went there as a matchmaker probably was yet another thing that confused day so much about mork’s intentions (and it also had me on the floor recreating the collective wailing scene from midsommar but that’s a different matter)

and like don’t get me wrong, i have no doubts that letting day go with august was probably one of the hardest most painful things mork ever had to do and that the only reason he was actually able to go through with it is because he thought that august was where day’s happiness laid. it was also extremely painful to see mork alone in the background throughout the entire episode, unsure of where he stands in day’s life and feeling like he has no right to claim a place next to him, and day definitely had some part in making him feel like that but i also think that mork was so wrapped up in his own emotions (understandably so) that he didn’t really listen to all the times day was asking him to stay. "not a boss. let's just say im a friend", "why didn't you join us for dinner?", "so will you tell me now what you're going as if not my caretaker?". day may not be sure of his own feelings or how to define his relationship with mork, but he does know that mork belongs right next to him, and seeing day looking for mork and not finding him was just as painful as mork once again not being able to give the damn sunflower to day LIKE SERIOUSLY HOW MANY MORE SUNFLOWERS ARE WE GOING TO GO THROUGH BEFORE IT FINALLY GETS TO DAY STOP THIS MADNESS

AND DON’T EVEN LET ME GET STARTED ON THE SYMBOLISM OF IT ALL AND HOW - JUST LIKE AT THE BEGINNING THEY BOTH WERE THE UNHAPPY PRINCE AND THE UNTAMED FOX IN NEED OF A FRIEND WHO WOULD TAKE THE TIME AND EFFORT TO UNDERSTAND -THEY NOW BOTH ARE THE SUN AND THE SUNFLOWER CHASING THE LIGHT THAT MAKES IT VISIBLE BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO CAN TRULY SEE EACH OTHER AND HOW ALL OF THIS TIES WITH THE KISS HAPPENING AS THE SUN RISES OR I WILL START MAKING RABIS-RIDDLED CREATURE NOISES

im very likely forgetting so many things i wanted to say and that are worth mentioning but this already enough of a mess and i’ve also reached that point of insanity where i need to go meditate in a sensory deprivation chamber to come down from the sheer manic energies that thinking about this show has me going on SO. let’s just leave it at that

IN CONCLUSION. RIP ME

[thatgirl4815]

I think it's the not knowing when part 2 is that is really making ppl flip out, because even if you're pretty sure they'll get a show (which I am), having to wait until an unknown date to find out whether or not that's the case is just twisting the knife! They should at least have ended part 1 with a date for part 2 - are we talking before the end of the year?? Halfway through 2024??

I actually would really rather not get a S2 of OF just because I think they've towed the line pretty well tween hot mess and realistic/complex dynamics and I don't trust they could keep that up for another season without it descending into pure melodrama, with a Boeing equivalent introduced every other ep just to stir things up. Maybe it's my pessimism speaking re. how Boeing/Sand/Ray will play out, but S2s have a habit of destroying their established relationships, often through lazy writing and tired tropes, and personally I feel I've already seen Sand/Ray be destroyed - both as individuals and a couple - enough to last me a lifetime! So unless it's a drama-free, chilled out season of healing, therapy and the odd music festival, I don't want it! My nerves have enjoyed the ride up til now but they can't handle any more!

If I’m not mistaken the announcers mentioned something at the end about how whether a series is announced during P1 or P2 doesn’t necessarily indicate if it will be coming out in the first half of 2024 or the second half (granted, the Eng subs were pretty barren for most of the show so I might be wrong about this). If this is the case, then I’d suspect they will have P2 before the end of the year. My guess would be sometime in December.

OF season 2 is definitely a slippery slope, and while I think it’s a possibility, I don’t think it’s super likely based on GMMTV’s record and what the cast/crew has already said. You’re right that season 2s often stir up unnecessary drama and can ruin existing ships because of it; I would hate if that was the case here.

…I just need to know what that First/Khao/Jojo clip was about where First had the tattoo on his arm. OF or something else? I want FK to work with Jojo again if possible because I think OF has proven that they work really well together.

More than anything, I need the guarantee that FK will have their own series next year. I’m confident we’ll get one, but I need to see the proof with my own eyes. I NEED ASSURANCES!!

[waitmyturtles]

Turtles Catches Up With Old GMMTV: SOTUS S and Our Skyy x SOTUS Edition

[What’s going on here? After joining Tumblr and discovering Thai BLs through KinnPorsche in 2022, I began watching GMMTV’s new offerings -- and realized that I had a lot of history to catch up on, to appreciate the more recent works that I was delving into. From tropes to BL frameworks, what we’re watching now hails from somewhere, and I’m learning about Thai BL's history through what I’m calling the Old GMMTV Challenge (OGMMTVC). Starting with recommendations from @absolutebl on their post regarding how GMMTV is correcting for its mistakes with its shows today, I’ve made an expansive list to get me through a condensed history of essential/classic/significant Thai BLs produced by GMMTV and many other BL studios. My watchlist, pasted below, lists what I’ve watched and what’s upcoming, along with the reviews I’ve written so far. Today, I’ll cover SOTUS S and Our Skyy x SOTUS, to close out this series and the KristSingto ship.]

Listen -- I did it to myself. All in the midst of my absolute INSANITY for Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy this week, and Our Skyy 2 x ATOTS next week. I did all this to myself! My mind’s mush.

For some reason, as I was scrolling through MDL last month, I thought my OGMMTVC watchlist wasn’t complete if I didn’t finish the rest of the series of GMMTV’s first HUGE BL in SOTUS (2016). A lot of my priorities regarding learning about the history of Thai BLs have changed over the course of this project, and the watchlist has definitely expanded from @absolutebl‘s original three suggested BLs to watch to understand the old GMMTV brand of BLs. And, as I’m inching ever closer to He’s Coming To Me (2019) -- I realized that there would be quite the gap in my seeing the development of Singto Prachaya as an actor from when he first premiered in SOTUS to HCTM. I felt that, in order to be REALLY prepared to become a SUPER FAN of HCTM -- I needed to freshen up on my Singto. 

What I wanted to see was -- could he save the franchise at all, simply by way of his acting? As ABL Sensei noted about the original SOTUS -- it was problematic enough to be emblematic of a style of BL that GMMTV is now moving away from. 

From that point of view? I’m honestly VERY glad I finished out SOTUS as a franchise. I think it was hugely important for the OGMMTVC project, and for me to understand what GMMTV was experimenting with, and how the channel slowly developed with more expertise in making BLs and/or queer media over the course of the last eight years, particularly under the production eye of Aof Noppharnach as he took more control of GMMTV’s BL steering wheel. It was worth it for me to take the pain of dealing with Krist’s acting again, and as many of the WONDERFUL Tumblr family noted for me: SOTUS S and Our Skyy x SOTUS were by far easier to watch than SOTUS. 

So -- I’m making a few assumptions, since I don’t concretely know the detailed history -- by the time SOTUS S comes out, KristSingto are an established pair. Fans are likely chomping for more (and spending more), and SOTUS S comes through as a means of continuing Arthit and Kongpob’s relationship. 

Fam, all of you were right. Our Skyy x SOTUS was WAY, WAY better than either of the seasons of SOTUS. 

SOTUS S was fine. It reminded me of the Korean period dramas I used to watch as a young woman when they first started airing in America, ones that I’d watch with my mom. Lots of, like, sitting at long tables with your trusted war advisors on how to take over the Goryeo dynasties. SOTUS S was like a Japanese work drama, where like, the STORY of the WORK is PART of the POINT of the drama (maybe a little like Step By Step right now? I think it’s always hard to create DRAMA around, like, a WORK PROJECT, but anyway. Minor quibble.). 

Whatever. As with the original SOTUS: it took fucking FOREVER in SOTUS S to get to the meat of the story of where the relationship was landing with Arthit and Kong. 

But let me give Krist a little credit. After Arthit got used to Kong being an intern at the company -- I will say that I felt Krist, in his acting, loosened up a bit. A little wink here, an actual smile there. Instead of playing defense at the baseline, Arthit/Krist started hitting some shots at the net. (I see he’s “loosening up” even more right now in Be My Favorite... yeah? I dunno, I ain’t watchin’ that.)

Did I feel like Krist’s betterment in acting was in response to Singto’s acting? Not... quite. Not yet. 

Once I watched Our Skyy x SOTUS, I realized a couple of things. The style of workshopping that GMMTV BL actors go through NOW, CLEARLY didn’t exist at the time of SOTUS. I felt like SOTUS and SOTUS S WERE the workshop for these two.

And then Our Skyy premieres, and I’m like -- OHHHHHHHHHH. OH! Krist kinda has it in him to pull out some real acting!

The Our Skyy episode also had 1) great structure, 2) a CONCISE and CRISP storyline, and 3) SHARP dialogue. It didn’t seem like these guys needed to IMPROV their emotions, the way that Krist DID, and seemed to STRUGGLE to do in the first two seasons. 

But most importantly, for me -- in relation to what I said about Singto earlier -- I realized something about Singto. Like I said in my review of the original SOTUS -- Krist could not catch what Singto was throwing. 

I think in SOTUS S, Singto... didn’t give up, per se. He just STILL didn’t HAVE the means by which to ACT RESPONSIVELY to someone who WASN’T RESPONDING to him. I didn’t see Singto grow, at all, in his role in SOTUS S. He was still the same seme automaton. And there’s a problem with that, I think. I could not see, AGAIN, for the LIFE of me, why Kong would be ATTRACTED to Arthit -- EVEN IF Krist were playing Arthit as a very held-back, stuffy type. Kong/Singto radiated with energy and a POTENTIAL of love -- and watching them interact in SOTUS S was like watching the emanation of an incorrect math equation.

I was surprised. I thought I’d see more development, more flexibility, more comfort in the role of Kong. Both Arthit and Kong seemed to be playing their robotic TYPES. 

Not so in Our Skyy. Finally. The guys seemed looser. I felt this most greatly after Kong cooked Arthit breakfast, and Arthit scoffs (as usual) away from Kong’s affections. And Singto/Kong opens his arms for a hug.

FINALLY. Wordless communication! IT WAS GREAT. And the message of the hug -- we don’t know if this will be our last hug, so let’s hug and make it count -- it was a great and meaningful message.

If I had to get through SOTUS S to get to that moment, and to see these two be able to share well-acted emotion by the time of Our Skyy -- I would argue, for my sake and sanity, that it was worth it for this project. Because that ship/pair was so important for early BL. I had to think that there HAD to be some art, AT SOME POINT, between those two, and we got just a taste in Our Skyy. 

I want to think, and to say, that for GMMTV -- that may have been a bit of a breakthrough moment, that Our Skyy x SOTUS episode. Many of those other first Our Skyy moments, like Puppy Honey and Kiss The Series/Kiss Me Again -- those were appendages to existing series where the BL aspect was secondary. I think that wordless communication, the emotion and the hug from Kong and Arthit, mayyyyybe potentially showed that, hey -- we can create a bit of a foundation of emotional art here, with this format. 

Some quick other thoughts on SOTUS S and Our Skyy before I move on:

1) I liked Cherry. Yes -- a femme-ish character set up for the laughs. But Cherry wasn’t designed nearly as problematically as the femme characters of Love Sick. I think, by adding Cherry, that the writers of SOTUS were beginning to acknowledge that their brand of BL NEEDED to step its toe into queer recognition -- especially considering that other shows that had aired around the time of SOTUS (namely Make It Right) dealt with queerness so head on.

2) WHERE WAS NAMMON IN OUR SKYY??? Come awn! He and Guy Sivakorn had AMAZING chemistry! (Guy Sivakorn, y’all, great GMMTV stable guy!)

3) I REALLY LOVED SEEING KONG’S CLASSMATES in Our Skyy, even for a second. All the homies with their flashy hair. I felt total nostalgia for all of them during SOTUS S and Our Skyy.

4) Durian’s outing of Kong and Arthit was bullshit. THAT was problematic AF. Judgy and shady. 

5) Oh, speaking of non-continued couples: no Earth and Tod in Our Skyy. Dang. I thought Earth would come around. (The whole SOTUS franchise REALLY left couples hanging. Remember Prem and Wad?? Wtf! Graveyard of potential!)

Anyway. Listen. I don’t really consider this review over until I watch He’s Coming To Me. I now need to see Singto in a pairing with an actor who ACTS RESPONSIVELY, who is able to CATCH what Singto is PRESENTING. 

I will admit Krist DRASTICALLY improved, even from SOTUS S to Our Skyy. 

BUT. I now know, from Make It Right and Bad Buddy, that few actors can hold like Ohm Pawat in BLs (but I’ve yet to get familiar with Gun, and I can’t wait to do some talent comparisons between the gold stars of GMMTV soon enough). 

And that’s what I’m looking forward to watching -- the SUBVERSION of a huge ship for the SAKE of getting two damn talented actors together for what I know will be a fucking gem of a show in HCTM. I cannot wait to get to it, and it’ll be really soon. 

[Alright! On to Love By Chance, with darling Perth Tanapon and my first ride with Saint Suppakong. I’ve mentioned this here and there, but many thanks to the WONDERFUL @bengiyo for filling me in on all the deets of the break-up of the PerthSaint ship. As I get closer to He’s Coming To Me, understanding Perth’s and Ohm’s reputations -- especially as I close out watching Double Savage this week, and understanding how their ship subversions affected their careers in and out of BLs -- is super helpful context. 

Here’s the list as it stands. As I said last week, I’ll definitely be a touch delayed with LBC, as I’ll be likely watching and rewatching Our Skyy 2 x BBS (x ATOTS??) and Our Skyy 2 x ATOTS (x BBS??!?) this week and next. BUT STILL, WE PLUG ALONG! And one tiny little change: because this project is so inspired by my passion for the art and the history of Bad Buddy, I’m including a full BBS and Our Skyy 2 x BBS rewatch as a means of honoring this whole undertaking.

As always, I’ll take any input or recommendations from all of you LOVELY family!

1) Love Sick and Love Sick 2 (2014 and 2015) (review here) 2) Make It Right (2016) (review here) 3) SOTUS (2016-2017) (review here) 4) Make It Right 2 (2017) (review here) 5) Together With Me (2017) (review here) 6) SOTUS S/Our Skyy x SOTUS (2017-2018) 7) Love By Chance (2018) (watching) 8) Kiss Me Again: PeteKao cuts (2018) 9) He’s Coming To Me (2019) 10) Dark Blue Kiss (2019) 11) TharnType (2019) 12) Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey (BL cuts) (2016 and 2017) (I’m watching this out of order just to get familiar with OffGun before Theory of Love -- will likely not review) 13) Theory of Love (2019) 14) Dew the Movie (2019) (not an official part of the OGMMTVC watchlist, but I want to watch this in chronological order with everything else) 15) Until We Meet Again (2019-2020) 16) 2gether (2020) 17) Still 2gether (2020) 18) I Told Sunset About You (2020) 19) Manner of Death (2020-2021) (not a true BL, but a MaxTul queer/gay romance set within a genre-based show that likely influenced Not Me and KinnPorsche) 20) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) (review here) 21) I Promised You the Moon (2021) 22) Not Me (2021-2022) 23) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) (thesis here) 24) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) and Our Skyy 2 x BBS (2023) OGMMTVC Rewatch 25) Secret Crush On You (2022) [watching for Cheewin’s trajectory of studying queer joy from Make It Right (high school), to SCOY (college), to Bed Friend (working adults)] 26) KinnPorsche (2022) (tag here) 27) The Eclipse (2022) (tag here) 28) My School President (2022-2023) 29) Moonlight Chicken (2023) (tag here) 30) Bed Friend (2023) (tag here) (Cheewin’s latest show, depicting a queer joy journey among working adults)]

[talkingbl]

How A BL Can Go From Melodrama to *Cinema* 🤩

1. Better production quality across the board. But particularly when it comes to set dressing (all BL markets), audio quality (Thai BLs), sound design and sound track. Tired of hearing unintentional real-room acoustics because GMMTV was too cheap to buy enough wireless mics for every actor, or because MeMindY thought wireless mics were the only kind of mics allowed ever and now we can hear every brush against the mic, or hearing the water on the beach over the actor's actual voice. Tired of the bland, plain "dorm room" with absolutely no personality that's clearly shot in a hotel room. Tired of the same 15-20 clearly royalty-free backing tracks blaring over an actor's voice at inappropriate times that are the editor's way of calling the viewers idiots by handfisting a cue that a tonal shift is occurring. And I am utterly exhausted with cheesy sound effects that completely suck the tension out of every scene! Just fucking stop!!!! Example of good production quality: The Blue Hour (not a series but still...).

2. Multi-season series (with shorter seasons overall). And no, I don't mean sequels (a la Tharntype 2/Still 2gether) where the characters are fundamentally in a different story. I want to see genuine conflict explored with the care it deserves, characters actualized, and romantic moments that linger just enough to leave viewers wanting more. Most BL storylines are entirely too rushed (or, on the other hand, feel like 2 different stories crammed into one season of television). I'd rather split up seasons by character arc the same way it's done in Hollywood or anime and cut seasons down from 12-14 episodes to 8-10. I feel like most Thai BLs would benefit from taking the multiple shorter-seasons than the one longer-season approach. Good example of a multi-season series, with strong pacing due to tighter seasons: Young Royals.

3. Better acting. And no, I don't mean crying and screaming because that's what the uninitiated think good acting looks like. I'm talking microexpressions when Neo portrays Boston's silent hurt watching Top take genuine interest in Mew. I'm talking the subtle glance down to Juntaek's lips when Jisub shows Jaewon's inital interest in Jihyun on their meetcute. And I'm talking the quiver of Fourth's voice when Gun is confronted with the reality that maybe he's not cut out for the music industry. A great performance doesn't necessarily have to be understated or even realistic, but it does need to be consistent with the story conventions and characters we're dealing with. Under/overacting to the point of parody is okay in satire. But doing so in a story that otherwise leverages typical romance/tragedy story beats looks ridiculous. It would also be great if all the lead actors were talented too.... Example of a good acting performance: Fourth (most of the time) in My School President.

4. Increased story variety. From broad themes and co-genres all the way to specific character arcs and tropes, we need more variety in BL stories (ESPECIALLY in KBL). Give me more period pieces, sci-fi, horror stories, star-crossed lovers, soulmates, magical boys, heroes' journeys, survival stories, mysteries, etc.! Good example of an unconventional character arc: Not Me.

5. Longer Episodes for KBLs. This is one area of production I think the KBL industry can learn a lot from the Thai BL industry. While the stories I've watched never really feel rushed, they do feel a bit empty/inadequate. The writers could explore more themes and character drama just by lengthening episode runtime 10-15 minutes per episode. Good example of a KBL with many longer episode runtimes: The Eighth Sense.

6. Subtlety. This is kind of an amalgam of 1 and 3 but I want to say more. Stop telling me the plot/character arc and just do the plot or arc. Stop cueing tonal shifts with on-the-nose music/sound effects and trust that, as your viewer, I am intelligent enough to know that the actors have gotten serious after a bout of laughter, or have simmered down from a heated exchange. When you cue your viewer, you either think they're dumb or you don't trust that your actor, director, and/or writer are doing their jobs. Either way, the viewer is left unsatisfied. Good example of subtle storytelling: I Told Sunset About You.

[miss0atae]

Random Thought about We are the series episode 1:

This is finally the first episode of the hyperlink cinema series of Gmmtv with multiple characters and couples. I have to admit I'm not the most excited by this series because most of the actors are not my favorites, plus the synopsis isn't exactly groundbreaking. It's the usual university comedy sprinkled with romance. I believe we have other options in the week that are more interesting but I wanted to give it a try.

There are mostly two groups of friends: Phum's friends who are all engineering students and playing football and then we have Pheem's friends who are mostly studying art like him, apart from Tan and Pun but they all met during high school.

▪️ I feel this episode centered heavily on Phum and Pheem. Pheem is the typical art student who wants to enjoy his college life. He is not reluctant to work well to achieve his goals but he also wants to spend time with his friends. Phum is an engineer student with his own circle of friends with probably daddy issues and he likes football. He also has a brother who he is close to. Phum and Pheem have two things in common: they are studying in the same university and they have Tan as a friend. A series of "funny" events will lead them to start interacting more as Pheem will end up the "slave" of Phum.

▪️ Q is the art prodigy of his class and he is mentoring Toey who is not as good as him but who is really admiring Q's talent. Q is unbothered by everything and has this cool personality while Toey is more like a fanboy. They know each other and have a good relationship. The first episode don't give us more on their relationship. At least, we knows Q is a good friend of Pheem and he is willing to protect him if it's needed as it is showed when Phum wants to talk to Pheem and Q step up to protect him. I like Q, but I wished we knew more about his personality. As for now, Q and Toey still looks very one-dimensional.

▪️ Tan is the goofy friends who is very sociable but won't hesitate to film his friends when they are drunk and tell to Phuem where is Pheem if it can gets him to be with Fang (Phum's brother who he fancies). I wish Tan was more likeable. I found him a bit irritating. I guess, I wouldn't trust him if he was my friend. He may be very bubbly but at the same time I found him annoying. We'll see how his story will progress. Fang is still a very unknown character for us. We saw him like 2 minutes and he was just having a chat with Phum. He looks like the most responsible brother between the two.

▪️ Then, we have Chain and Pun. Chain we know nothing about him or his personality. Could we say he is reliable? I don't know. As for Pun, we can just say that he likes to go out in pajama and he is maybe a bit whimsical. We need more information about them because it's not enough. We saw them, that's it. They were there, but apart from their friendship to Tan, Q and Pheem, we still know nothing about them. It is sad because they are the couple I was the most interested by. I guess I'll have to wait for more episode.

That's it and I believe it's because this series has 16 episodes and that's why this first episode was a bit uneventful. I wish we had more for the premiere of the series. I don't know exactly but there is this feeling of an "unfinished taste". However, I try to keep an open mind because it's a first episode and it's so rare when I like a first episode so we'll see next week what this series can offer.