#info about bl

[absolutebl]

BL Info & Review Content Providers/Blogs OFF Tumblr

BLOG

Wordpress based blog: BL Express. https://theblxpress.wordpress.com/

A small team that updates regularly and are very sweet and very good and consistent. They’re pure fan passion but thorough in their reviews (not-academic), and while we don’t always agree I like reading their thoughts. They also talk about m/m books and occasionally yaoi. They have an RSS feed so you can aggregate. (You might even be ale to get it sent to you in newsletter form.)

FACEBOOK

Facebook page: BL Update 2020 https://www.facebook.com/blupdate2020

I think just one person who speaks several languages (specifically Japanese & Korean) and keeps an eye to Twitter, Instagram, and places like that where BL announcements are made. They then repackage into a daily digest posting format. More interested in providing content/announcements first, than engaging with fans, so doesn’t really respond to comments or cultivate a community (which is FINE).

When I hear gossip on Tumblr about a new project, this is who I check first, then I bop over to…  

TRACKING SYSTEM

My Drama List AKA MDL https://mydramalist.com/

It’s worth having an account just so you yourself can keep track of what you watch. You can follow people like me who only review BL, and create lists of it. More importantly you can check the comment threads beneath the different dramas for indie subbers posting more obscure titles. Also people who know what’s going on with production etc…

TWITTER

World of BL on Twitter https://twitter.com/world_of_bl_com

This is my least used resource for no other reason then I really hate Twitter. But I know a lot of people follow them. And they might be the most up to date source on this list. Very engaged with the community. Also runs a wikia based (or maybe hard coded?) resource of BL + reviews. (I just don’t like the interface, ugly af, but there are some who find it useful and prefer it to MDL).

Also: BLUpdate @BLUPDATE2022.

YOUTUBE

Will of Thai BL on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/ThaiBL

Does videos regularly of trailer clips etcetera of upcoming dramas (not just Thai stuff). Because they have to cut everything together and upload there is a delay on this content (as compared to the other gossips), but still it’s a fun resource. Also Will is a reader of Thai y-novels and will occasionally post spoilers of currently airing shows (which you don’t’ have to watch, I just like spoilers). Uses a robot voice, but *shrug*.  

YouTube BL Documentary Resources 

BL History

Strongberry on BL (Korea)

Thai BL

TED Ex BangKok (growing up gay in Thailand)

Chinese masculinity

Perth on working on a BL show (Thailand, Aussie perspective)

——

There it is. That’s how to stay in touch with the community if, for any reason, you wanna/need to flee Tumblr or get booted or anything.

Please repost and add more if you know of them (specifically if there is a new releases newsletter out there), or leave a comment if you have other suggestions. Tumblr is fun but not exactly the best organizer of information.

(source)

[kyouka-supremacy]

(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

[clairedaring]

Nonkul and Bright's experience in queer media prior to I Feel You Linger In The Air

So... I've fallen down the huge rabbit hole that is I Feel You Linger In The Air (even though I was already down bad earlier this year when I finished the novels) since the airing of the series. I've tried my best to consume everything translated IFYLITA-related content and now I'm here to summarize a few points I love about the (immaculate) casting of Nonkul and Bright.

For Nonkul

Prior to IFYLITA, Nonkul has had a few BL-adjacent projects:

2014 indie gay film "Love's Coming", where he plays a friend of the gay protagonist.

2016 sitcom series "Bang Rak Soi 9/1", where he plays a student with a crush on his straight best friend (main character played by Tongtong, who you may have known from To Sir With Love or Khun Chai)

2019 chinese bromance "Dive", where he plays the 2nd main lead who develops "strong friendship" with the protagonist as swimming teammates

But IFYLITA marks Nonkul's first time playing in a BL series where he is the protagonist.

Back in 2021, Nonkul posted this Q&A video on Facebook, where he answered the question "If you have a chance, would you consider playing in a BL series? If accepted, who do you to co-act with?". To which Nonkul went on a full long discussion on how he doesn't view BL as a genre and talks about what kind of role he would want to play (full clip below).

Transcript:

If that series is an interesting storyline for me, I am always open to any kind of genre. I never categorized BL series as an BL series, I just think of it as a series with another plot as part of my work. It is a normal series that can have any of the plots which I will categorize as Romantic Comedy, Drama or whatever. Thus, when I choose the BL series I want to work with, the love preference of the character does not affect my decision. If the plot of the series is interesting, of course I'm gonna do it for sure. Every work that I chose, I personally think it at least enjoyable for me. Of course, if in the future, there are BL series with plots that I find interesting, that I enjoyed the script. "Like, wow, that's my type!", I will definitely selected it to be my future project. A good written series is a good series. This is what I believe as an actor. - Nonkul

For BL Series, I think I can work with everyone. I don't think I have anyone in particular. One thing! I desire the character of that person/actor? to be close to the character in the series. At that point I will be satisfied. Sometimes, I as an actor have a chance to work with people who didn't have a lot of acting experience. I will still discover something new from him as well. And there is a BL novel which I really like! [Nonkul explains the plot of his favorite BL Novel 'Peremo'] I would prefer to choose the "heroine" role because it will be a new experience for me as an actor because it will be a new experience for me as an actor. Because basically I only play as a hero role for the main character or support character in my work, but a "heroine" role in a BL series is the only chance for me to play a character more feminine. So it is a new experience for me. [Nonkul continues raving about 'Peremo']. But if you think that you can make [an adaptation of Peremo], please do not forget me, Nonkul! Pleaseeeeeeee, I will do my best, I promise!!! However, I'm not only fixated on this novel. I'm also open for many more BL series if there is an interesting plot. - Nonkul

Interestingly the 3 checklists Nonkul mentioned his dream BL novel/character 'Peremo' had was 1. playing the 'heroine' role; 2. it has a LOT of action; 3. it is also sci-fi fantasy genre. And then in 2022, Nonkul booked 2 action dramas and IFYLITA which checked off criteria 1 and 3 of his wishlist (he mentioned it in this interview).

In 2022, at the beginning of IFYLITA announcement event, Nonkul mentioned that one of reasons that he accepted to play Jom in IFYLITA is that the story didn’t just put love scenes in just for fan services. Previously he had rejected some series because of that.

Nonkul read the novel prior to the acceptance of the role and you can tell he put a lot of care into bringing Jom to life (Nonkul immediately tweeting his apology after the pilot trailer is out about him accidentally using right hand to sketch (because Jom is left-handed), discussing various novel details with fans of the book at event, discussing how to punch Ohm like Jom would instead of punching him regularly as he would in other series, even giving book-film comparison commentaries in the BTS of the episodes)

Nonkul's physical and facial features are also so similar to Jom in the novel, especially his Chinese heritage is taken into account by the casting directors (Jom is also Thai of Chinese heritage iirc). Honestly kudos to P'Tee and co for snatching Nonkul.

For Bright

Prior to IFYLITA, Bright has played a supporting male gay character in the CH3 Lakorn 'Rivalry' and starred in PP Krit's MV 'It's Okay Not To Be Alright'.

But IFYLITA still marks Bright's first ever male lead role (ngl I was quite shocked when I found out about this because like the man is SIGNED to CH3, what are they doing?) AND his first official "BL" series.

Bright also accept the role of Khun Yai after he went to buy the novel and read them.

Before filming, Bright practiced a lot to portrayed Khun Yai as close to the novel as possible (the way Khun Yai walks with hands behind his back, his posture, him speaking in the different local dialect...)

Here are some translated interview questions Nonkul and Bright did before filming IFYLITA for bangkokbiznews that I found really interesting and want to share (original Thai article) (translated by twitter user lingerair/eugust)

Question: How is your individual characters? How are they similar or different from you? (1)

Nonkul: Jom and I are very different. Jom has soft and sensitive part. He cried so many times, and often gets upset with things that if it's me, I wouldn't be upset like him but his tears is already flowing. Bright: Khun Yai is quite similar with me. He's calm and wise. It's easy to be Khun Yai when I read the script. I try to put myself as Khun Yai. I'm Khun Yai and Khun Yai is me. I always think like this to be able to moderately act as Khun Yai.

Question: BL series has become a powerful "soft power". What do you about this? (2)

Nonkul: To be honest, whatever entertainment media it is, I view all of them as soft power but can't deny that during this period foreigners are especially interested in Thai Y series. I think it's a good thing. In the end, no matter what kind of content they are interested, it's a pleasant thing. Bright: Bright agrees (to that) very much. There are so many BL series with many fans both in and outside of the country, thus I think that it's good quality soft power in presenting a lot of things. Such as "I Feel You Linger In The Air" has a lot of Thai culture incorporated it in. Nonkul: Since it's period (series), it won't look like we're forcing Thai culture into (the series). We want foreigners to learn about how was it during the era and how it affects the present.

Question: This novel has a lot of fans waiting, do you feel pressured in taking a role in this? (3)

Nonkul: There's a little bit of pressure but personally, when I've worked till this point, I'm kinda used to this. I can say that I already have some expectations (for myself) and receive some pressures as a motivation in working but I'm not that stressed by it. Bright: Similar to Non, I'm a little bit pressured but we will both do our best, everyone will do their best. Fans has expectations because they want to watch the adaptation. We'll do it in our way and we hope everyone'll likes it.

As a huge fan of the novel, I just love how much love Nonkul and Bright have for the original novel and the amount "homework", care and dedication they have to crafting their characters to be as close as possible. I really hope everyone who have reservation or hesitance watching I Feel You Linger In The Air because you didn't vibe with previous Dee Hup House’s productions, should still give IFYLITA a chance (or at least try watching Episode 6 & 7) because it is seriously unlike any previous DHH’s productions (in all aspects: plot, direction, pacing, cinematography, music, lighting, color-grading, overall production…)

For my post on Bright and Nonkul's preparation for IFYLITA

[le-trash-prince]

Actresses for Change2561’s Original Projects Lineup 2024

[bl-bracket]

Also just a little fyi~ once we get the cast down (which is like a couple weeks out from here tbh), I'll have a form for y'all to submit ideas for names for the show itself (since by then we'll have a good sketch of the vibe of the series) as well as each of the characters! I'll probably then put those to a vote once we get everything else settled. This project is going to take a while tbh but I'm very excited to see what we create as a team!!!

Also just for future reference (though I'll remind y'all when we get to it), because our primary genre is heist and the secondary is detective, I'm currently planning that whoever we get as our main character will be more on the heist side of the coin, while the love interest will be on the detective side of the coin (I suppose when we get to tropes their actual roles will become more clear) (and also once I get a concept of the plot so I can write out the summary/synopsis thing)

[odessastone]

If anyone hasn’t preordered the Overwatch lore book (Overwatch Declassified) or the short story compilation (Heroes Ascendant) but wants to, Barnes & Noble is currently doing 25% off all preorders until September 8th! Promo code is PREORDER25

[mitchell-nihil]

No.6 is my favourite anime not because it's particularly good, but because the pure whiplash of going from expecting it to only SEEM like Shion and Nezumi had a thing going on and that Shion was gonna end with Safu, to suddenly "oh my god they're- OH MY GOD THEY'RE KISSING???"

100% that feeling is NEVER going to leave me

[gillianthecat]

Apparently it's Ben Franklin's fault* that electrons are negative. I can't really blame him, he had to make a random guess which side to call positive and which negative, but I'm still a little mad. It would make physics and chemistry significantly easier for my poor confused brain if he'd guessed the way that made electrons have the positive charge.

*based on an answer on quora. they seemed knowledgeable, but i didn't actually fact check anywhere else.

[mineonmain]

Missed connections!

I don’t really know what I’m doing, but I’m gonna try.

I’m looking for Tumblr user Billlkin! (I have a little more information on him, his IRL name, age, ethnicity, but I’ll keep that private for now).

I used to chat with him infrequently (but when we did it was all love), and I know that he was online until last year at least. We haven’t spoken in a while but I’d love to be able to reach out to him, just know he’s ok! His blog ‘billlkin’ is deleted/deactivated, but I’m hoping someone here knows if he’s got a new blog, or is active on some other social media platform where I can reach out to him. Just the sweetest guy ever.

If anyone has any info on him, pls let me know/DM me! Please tumblr do your thing, share and reblog this so that this reaches as many people as possible, so maybe I having the smallest chance this getting to someone who knows him.

[coollyinterferes]

//so...i'm just learning about some BL comic where one of the characters looks like this

and turns out that he's also apparently some gang boss (he's in his mid-30s, so like.. 10-ish years older than PB!Speebs), and he's also tall and buff too?????????? The lighting here doesn't really show it, but he appears to be blond in almost every other colored pic I've seen (his hair curly/wavy)

[anon-apple]

Hot Soup and Soft Bread 14

Table of Contents and Synopsis <- Chapter 13 Read on WordPress

Chapter 14: Soymilk and Fried Dough II

After more days of heading outside during the day, Zhou Cunqu realized that it almost felt like he was discovering daytime for the first time in his life. He never knew that dawn and dusk carried different scents. In the morning, he walked Zhong Qiuyan downstairs as the latter was heading to work. It was only around 6 am. There were a few breakfast shops around the Qin Qin Homeland community; Warm fragrant scents wafted out from those stores starting first thing in the morning. Qiuyan stuffed a bill inside Cunqu’s hand and said: “Go and try buying breakfast.”

Cunqu walked over. As the owner lifted the lid of the steamer basket to retrieve the buns inside, he nervously said with his head lowered: “One order of steamed buns, two bags of soymilk..”

Cunqu and the owner simultaneously squinted from the hot steam that assailed their eyes. The chubby owner swiftly bagged the buns and soymilk for him, then turned around, busy packing something else, as he called out: “Take care.” He didn’t spare Cunqu a single glance during the entire exchange.

Cunqu sat inside Qiuyan’s car and sipped from the bag of soymilk. He said: “It actually wasn’t that difficult.”

It really wasn’t that difficult. This continued for a whole week until finally, the owner looked at him for the first time. He lifted his head and said: “You new around here?”

Cunqu smiled in response. The owner gave him an extra stick of fried dough in passing, saying it tasted the best when freshly fried. Cunqu thought that the fried dough was particularly delicious. Qiuyan wiped the corner of his mouth for him and asked: “What do you want to eat for dinner? I’ll buy it after I get off work today.”

Cunqu thought briefly and replied that he wanted to eat yellow croaker. 

The door of Liu Xiaoying’s place was slightly open when Qiuyan returned from work. He pushed the door open, and Xiaoying’s four children simultaneously turned to look at him from the couch. Xiaoying herself sat by the dining table, and she said to Qiuyan: “Put it in the kitchen.”

She then said to the four on the couch: “I’m going to cook dinner now, when are you planning to go?”

Xiaoying’s youngest daughter, Qi Zhiqiu, frowned and said: “Mom, how come you didn’t say ‘I’m going to cook dinner now, why don’t you guys stay and have some?’”

Xiaoying didn’t bother to reply and stood up to head to the kitchen. Qi Lanxiang sat amongst the others and suddenly sneered: “You’re going to cook for him his entire life?”

Everyone in the room fell silent. Xiaoying sternly knocked on the dining table, and scolded like she used to when herding students into the classroom: “Go!”

During dinner, Qiuyan picked up a small yellow croaker with his chopsticks and put it into Cunqu’s bowl. Wagging his invisible tail, he said: “I deliberated for a long time and picked all the freshest ones. But since it was already late dusk, there weren’t that many fresh ones left, you know?”

Xiaoying stuck out her own bowl and demanded, “Pick a fresh one for me.”

Qiuyan replied: “Old ladies shouldn’t eat fish, you’ll choke on the bones.” He placed some Shanghai Bok Choy into Xiaoying’s bowl.

Cunqu laughed out loud.

That night Cunqu held a change of clothes and walked into the bathroom to shower. Qiuyan followed him. Cunqu sighed and said: “When did you get perverted enough to follow me even when I’m showering.”

Qiuyan said: “Xiaoying headed out to take a walk…” He asked Cunqu: “The things they said in the living room earlier in the day, did you hear them?”

With his back facing Qiuyan, Cunqu took off his shirt and threw it into the laundry basket. He said, “Yeah, they were discussing which hotel to hold the banquet at, how many tables they needed, what return gifts to prepare. The hotel needed to be reserved in advance, so they were in a hurry to discuss.”

Qiuyan walked up and hugged Cunqu from behind. He kissed Cunqu’s shoulder and asked: “Are you ok?”

Cunqu replied: “I’m fine.”

It’s just that his body would involuntarily have stress reactions to Qi Lanxiang’s voice, so he stayed inside his room and listened to Xiaoying’s music tapes. But Qi Lanxiang’s voice had quite the penetrative power. Cunqu said: “My mom used to be a singer. Then she became a vocal coach at a music school. My dad is a professor.” He suddenly recalled Jiang Langyu. In his entire life, Cunqu only ever rebelled once. In elementary school, he carried his violin case and headed to his violin lesson alone. But he didn’t end up going. Instead, he hid away with excitement and fear in an alleyway near his home. He didn’t do anything that day except sit on a chair someone had thrown out and blank out, waiting out the time of his lesson. He hugged his violin case and tilted back his head, staring at the dried peach slices someone had laid out on their balcony.

When Cunqu looked back down, he saw Jiang Liangyu looking at him from the alleyway entrance. Their eyes met, and he left. Later Cunqu found out that he went to tell Qi Lanxiang that Cunqu did not go to his class.  

Qiuyan let out an “ah?” He mumbled about how he didn’t understand what Liangyu was thinking. Cunqu took off his pajama pants and folded them neatly to the side. He said, “Because we were never the ordinary type of friends.”

Qiuyan asked: “Did they hit you?”

Cunqu replied, that they never hit him growing up. They would only repeatedly point fingers and bring this up in the years that followed, blaming the fact that his violin skills never went anywhere on this one time he skipped class. 

Cunqu turned on the shower, and water splashed Qiuyan in the face. Qiuyan yelped and bit Cunqu’s arm, saying: “You’re bullying me. Gege is bullying me.”

Cunqu laughed. Qiuyan didn’t care if his clothes got wet and started kissing Cunqu. They kissed in the steam, and Qiuyan held Cunqu down there for the first time. Cunqu leaned against him and moaned beside his ear. Right as Cunqu reached his release with his eyes closed, Xiaoying sneezed from outside the door. The two inside the bathroom froze.

Qiuyan quietly yelped: “Shit, shit…why did she come back this quickly.”

Cunqu immediately started instructing him: “I’ll head out first and say I just finished showering. Then I’ll chat with Grandma for a bit. You slowly sneak out.” 

Qiuyan lightly replied: “Yessir.”

--

When Qiuyan switched back to the night shift, he would head directly back to Qin Qin Homeland afterward. Cunqu left the door open for him, and read in bed while waiting for him. Qiuyan pushed open the door and headed in, navigating through several book piles with difficulty. He puckered his lips and said: “Give your husband a kiss.”

Cunqu said that gave him goosebumps. Qiuyan smacked a heavy kiss on his lips and scolded: “You’re allergic to romance.” After scolding, he looked around and found the change of clothes he left inside Cunqu’s closet. He walked to the nightstand and took a sip from Cunqu’s water, tiptoed outside to take a shower, then came back covered in steam.

They would wait for Liu Xiaoying to leave for her calligraphy class before heading down to take their walk. For a time in early September, it continuously rained. They finished their walk and sat inside Qiuyan’s car and listened to the rain.  Cunqu said that he had never realized how pleasantly the rain sounded when it fell upon an umbrella or against the roof of a car. At night, their slippers were placed next to each other. The rain would still be pouring outside the window. Cunqu said that he read a story in his book about how a pet goldfish waited for its owner to fall asleep, wore his slippers, and sat in the living room watching TV. 

Qiuyan followed up: “It’s watching ‘How does a fish successfully jump over the Dragon Gate.’” Cunqu laughed. 

The next morning, Qiuyan yawned as he walked out of Cunqu’s room. He ran into Xiaoying who had just returned from her morning exercises. Xiaoying held the towel she was using to wipe her sweat and asked him suspiciously: “How come these days it seems like you’re at my place every second of the day?”

Qiuyan replied through his yawn: “Excuse you, I go to work every day.” He then slid to the side and poured a glass of room-temperature water for Cunqu. Xiaoying said with her hands on her hips: “No, no. Haven't you been working the night shift recently? You’re here during the day. At night you’re working. The next day you’re here again….”

Qiuyan pushed her and said: “Go and take a shower. Your entire body smells like sweat. Your place is my place. Aren’t you my second grandma…”

Qiuyan escaped into Cunqu’s bedroom and stuck out his tongue, saying to himself: “I’m done for.”

Xiaoying stood outside the door, taken aback. After a while, she mumbled: “I still feel like something’s off…” 

-> Chapter 15

[sarasade]

One of the most generally useful things to come out of Hbomberguy's plagiarism video and Todd in the Shadows' similar video on misinformation is how they bring transparency to the internet phenomenon of "I made up a guy to get mad at".

Seriously, I've seen people make up a lot of stupid shit on the internet over the years and it's often just a manipulative attempt to paint a group of marginalized people in a bad light.

That's the TL;DR version of this post. 

ANYWAY here is the long version

Those videos are mostly about James Somerton's plagiarism of other queer people's work. However I'd like to talk about that 20-30% of Somerton's original writing- and oh boy. It's mostly about complaining about White Straight Women and misgendering well-known trans creators such as Rebecca Sugar and calling Becky Albertalli a straight woman while it's pretty common knowledge that she was forced to out herself as bi because she received so much harassment over "being a cishet woman who appropriates LGBT+ stories".

One thing that irks me especially is how in his Killing Stalking and Gay Shipping videos Somerton brings up how straight women/ teen girl shippers exploit gay men for their personal sexual fantasies. This gets brought up several times in his videos.

Being all up and arms about Somerton being a "White Cis Gay Who Hates Women and Queer People tm" is not that useful because the kind of rhetoric he's using is extremely common in fandom and LGBT+ spaces on Tumblr, TikTok and Twitter. We really don't need to bring Somerton's identity to this since he is in no way an unique example.

It's hypocritical to make this about an individual person when I've seen A TON of posts, tweets and videos where queer people talk about these Sinister Straight Women who are supposedly out there fetishizing and exploiting queer men. It's pretty clear to me that this is just an excuse to shit on women and queer people for having any sexual interests. At worst these comments are spreading misinformation about BL, a form of media that has been excessively studied by both Asian feminists and Asian queer women.

This all sounds really familiar and I think it's good that people are calling it out as what it is: misogyny and transphobia. I'd also point out the potentially racist motives behind being this hypervigilant about Asian media.

People can absolutely be misogynist regardless of gender or orientation. I really don't know why we need to create some kind of made up enemy to get mad at. I actually think it's almost sinister how "anti-fujoshi" people call Slash shippers and fujoshi misogynists or claim that they have internalised misogyny while being dismissive about women's interests and creative pursuits under Japanese obscenity laws, China's censorship, book bans in American schools and various other disadvances that are part of being a queer and/or female creator.

I think we shouldn't be naive about the bad faith actors who want to turn queer people against each other. For example Fujoshi.info mentions anti-gender (TERF, GC etc) movement using this kind of rhetoric as well.

Anyway if you want to read more:

- about the false info around BL fandom fujoshi.info

-There is the scholar Thomas Baudinette who studies gay media in Japan. Here is a podcast with him and the scholar Khursten Santos

-James Welker is a BL scholar as well. Here is a podcast interview about the new international BL article collection he edited.

-I've already talked about this Youtube channel by KrisPNatz and his great Killing Stalking video that actually engages with the themes of the manhwa

- There is also HR Coleman's thesis DO NOT FEED THE FETISHIZERS: BOYS LOVE FANS RESISTANCE AND CHALLENGE OF PERCEIVED REPUTATION where she interviews 36 BL fans and actually breaks down why fetishization has become such a huge talking point in the fandom discourse. Spoilers, it's mostly about young queer people and women being worried that they will get judged and pathologized for their interest in anything sexual.

-Great podcast about Danmei and censorship with Liang Ge

[misctf]

Exploring the Tribes

“Dude! Way too much info.” Jeff made a face of disgust and took another swig of his beer, “I’m all for “love is love”, but I don’t wanna hear about your uhhh...”

“Look dude, it’s about time I get to brag. I’ve nearly fucked all the tribes on Grindr. On this vacation alone, bro.” Connor replied, “You and the rest of the guys get to brag about all the pussy you get, why can’t I...?”

“Damn I don’t know man. It’s just...” Jeff adjusted his cap and chugged the rest of his beer, “We’re on vacation with the rest of the bros. Of course we’re gonna talk about our scores.” Jeff smirked- with a body like his, he was scoring well, “I don’t doubt you’re getting plenty of dick. I just don’t want to hear about it.”

“Yeah, and I didn’t want to hear about that time you banged my sister, but here we are.”

Jeff smirked as he recounted the memory, “She has a great rack...” Connor punched his arm, “Fair I deserved that.”

“And I’m a top. I don’t take dick.”

“Whatever dude, can’t you just enjoy the beer?” Jeff sighed, “Besides, what the fuck is a tribe anyway?”

Connor chuckled, “Shit, I forget we make it complicated. It’s a way to describe gay guys. Well, at least their looks.” Jeff nodded, his mind drifting elsewhere, “Like, a bear is a hairy heavyset guy. A twink is usually more feminine and hairless. Like you.”

“Fuck off dude. Girls like it when my muscles are clean shaven.” Jeff shot back.

“Joking, you’re too muscular to be a twink.” Connor replied, “But dude, stay on topic. I’m so close to having fucked a guy in each tribe on this trip. Like just a few more. But I’ve had a really hard time finding an otter.”

Jeff chuckled, “That some kinda weird animal shit?”

“No, otters are like bears, but a lot skinnier.” Connor replied.

“And you want to hook up with one of these guys?” Jeff raised an eyebrow, “Skinny and hairy. What kinda guy would want that?” He flexed one of his biceps and grinned.  

“Well yeah, gotta complete the quest.” Connor shrugged, “But I haven’t come across one since we’ve been here.”

“Oh yeah?” Jeff chuckled, “I have a deal for you. If I find you an otter, you gotta stop talking to me about this shit for the rest of the trip.”

Connor laughed, “Yeah, okay bro.”

“No seriously. I’m a great wingman! Remember Chet and that sorority girl with the slutty tattoo? That was all me, bro.”

“Alright dude. I’ll play.” Connor chuckled, “And how are you going to find this otter?”

Jeff shrugged, “Hairy and slim. Fuck dude, I’ll find ‘em in no time.”

Connor smirked and slapped his friend on the back, “Well I appreciate it, dude. But I think I’ve already found one.”

“No fucking way man, where?” Jeff asked, looking around the bar.

“You can’t miss him. He’s pretty slim.”

Jeff continued to look around, barely noticing as his muscles started to deflate. It started in his legs- his well sculpted calves becoming thin and petite. He inadvertently put a hand on his abs as he felt his muscle twist and contract, just before they deflated, leaving his toned abdomen flat. Connor smirked as he watched Jeff’s pecs follow suit- the muscle behind them atrophying at an alarming rate.  

“I’ll miss those.” Connor chuckled.

“What was the dude?”

“Nothing man.” Connor watched as Jeff seemed to shorten as his back muscles shrunk into nothingness, “You haven’t noticed him yet?” He watched as Jeff’s muscular arms thinned out- years of training at the gym gone within just a few minutes.

“No I haven’t.” Jeff chuckled, “You sure you’re not seeing things, bro?”

“No, he’ right there.” Connor insisted.

Jeff’s eyes narrowed and he stood up to try and get a better view. But he wasn’t used to his new frame and nearly fell over as he tried to balance himself, “Fuck dude, I need to lay off the drinks.” Jeff looked at his skinnier arms, staring at them closely. Connor sipped his drink, watching Jeff trying to make sense of it, “Shit... dude... I...I look small?”

“No way, I think you look perfect the way you are.” Connor said, guiding Jeff back to his chair. Jeff blushed at his friend’s touch.

“Sh-shit dude.” Jeff shook his head, “I uh...” Something was wrong. He knew he wasn’t this skinny. As he looked closer at himself, he felt he was missing something. His pecs, his arms, his abs, “Fuck Connor, dude something is...”

“Dude stop distracting me! I’m trying to find that otter I was telling you about.” Connor smirked, “He has to be one of the hairiest guys I’ve seen.”

Jeff felt nauseous. With a grunt, he felt his skin come alive. It burned, only to be replaced by an itchiness that seemed to originate from each follicle of his clean-shaven skin. Relief came suddenly, but was short-lived. He watched with terrified eyes as hair emerged from the top of his bathing suit and traveled up his abdomen. The dark brown hair sprouting from his skin was curly and thick, moreso than anything he ever grew naturally. And as it climbed up his abdomen, thickening rapidly, it finally reached his pecs where it spread like wildfire.

“Ahhhhh.” Jeff moaned as he felt the hair climb around his ass and move up his back. Simultaneously, Jeff raised his hand to feel the thick beard forming along his face, “Connor, what the fuck?” He breathed out, sweat washing over his body and dampening his new fur. Connor grinned, yanking a clump of Jeff’s new arm hair.

“Dude, what’s the matter? You’re distracting me.” Connor complained, “Damn, if only you could see this otter now.” Jeff tensed as Connor rubbed a hand through the dense forest on his chest, “What did you say about guys who wear earrings?” Jeff winced in pain as his ears were stretched and two gauges embedded into his ear lobes, “Oh and remember that sorority girl? What did you say about her tattoos again?” Jeff winced again as tattoos carved themselves into his arms and legs, “And shit, what kinda guy would wear a speedo like that?” Jeff looked down at the yellow speedo that now barely covered his junk and hairy ass, “Oh right- according to you, those things would make someone gay and slutty, right?” Jeff’s eyes widened, “So I guess this otter I’m seeing must be a massive gay slut.”

“Wait! Connor! Please...” Jeff’s mouth went slack and his eyes widened as his brain was rewritten. His love for tits quickly vanished- replaced by a love for a man’s touch and dick, “Please... I...” Jeff winced as he remembered the best way to suck a man’s cock. A strategy that always got his hookup to cum, “I’m not...” His gym routine vanished from his brain. Cardio and squats. All to help keep his ass as fuckable as possible, “Connor...” Jeff felt himself fall forward, and for brief moment everything went dark. But when he opened his eyes, he found himself being supported by the strong arm of the man sitting across from him.

“Yo, you good?” Jeff looked up at the muscular man in front of him and grinned.

“All good hun!” Jeff giggled, tracing his hand along the man’s muscular arm. Fuck, how’d he get so lucky to find this stud?, “But I think I should lie down for bit.”

“I have a place in mind.” The man said with a grin.

“Oh yeah big guy?” Jeff leaned in and placed a hand against the man’s pec, “I need you to take me there. Right now.” He breathed. The man grinned and the two left the bar, walking quickly back to the man’s room, “My name is Jeffrey by the way.”

“Connor.” Connor replied, as the two entered the bedroom.

Jeffrey grinned as Connor threw him onto the bed. Clothes were quickly discarded. And soon, moans filled the empty room.

______________________________________________________________

Jeff groaned as he pushed himself out of bed, ‘Fuck,’ he thought, seeing the time on his phone, ‘I must’ve gotten wasted.’

His whole body ached, especially his ass. Probably fell on it while he was drunk, he figured. He wobbled to the bathroom and stared in the mirror- taking in his muscular frame and clean-shaven form. He smirked- even feeling like shit he still had his looks. He opened his phone to take a pic and cringed.

“What the fuck?” He whispered, “Who the fuck is that?” He stared at the newest saved picture in his phone. A hairy, slim man, “An otter...” He whispered.

There was a sudden knock at his door and he groaned. Shuffling over, he opened it to find Connor.

“Dude what’s up?” Connor chuckled, “Quite the night last night.”

 “Yeah, really? Fuck dude, I drank way too much. Check this out.” He showed Connor the picture, causing his friend to laugh, “I don’t know how it got on here.”

“You don’t remember?” Connor laughed, “Before you left, we took a whole bunch of selfies.”

Jeff groaned, “Hope he didn’t think I’d be into that.” He chuckled, “Shoot your shot, I guess.” He deleted the photo, “So I take it the night was successful?”  

Connor smirked, “Oh it was.” He winked. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing him again soon. He was begging for more.”

“Gross dude.” Jeff chuckled, “So is that it? Done with the quest?”

“Close dude, very close. Just a few more tribes left.” Connor grinned. Jeff felt a shiver run down his spine. He looked at Connor, a feeling of fear and excitement welling up from within the deepest part of his psyche, “So, wanna grab a drink?”

Jeff shrugged, “Sure, dude.”  

[rarepears]

Oh! MBJ "bridenapping" SQH, it sparked an ~idea~

What if instead of MBJ bringing his husband to rest, it's an INJURED MBJ, looking for his Qinghua because he always heals and protects him. But since he's injured, he doesn't really have the cognitive thought process to realize SQH's aura isn't in a safe spot in his internal GPS and doesn't think to go to SQH's house. Just straight to SQH. In the middle of a meeting with most of the Peak Lords, excluding LQG because I agree, nothing would be able to happen if he was there since he'd kill an injured MBJ in an instant.

SQH has a split second to think.

Save MBJ or himself?

SQH tears a reserve teleport talisman he had MBJ make for him so writers choice if anyone knows if SQH did it himself or if the injured Demon Lord did.

Anyways, MBJ tears open a portal, covered in blood and SQH doesn't have much time to think and catches his husband King and has a split second to choose.

EITHER WAY THE GOSSIP!! The An Ding Peak Lord was kidnapped out of a meeting with the Sect Leader and multiple Peak Lords present by a demon.

That'd be terrifying just at first thought. A demon made it past Cang Qiong's wards and Qiong Ding's, all the extra wards in that meeting room alone, faster than all present Peak Lords could react.

Then we have the 2 main gossip chains. Why was SQH taken? Logistics and Love

Logistics for all the info the An Ding Peak Lord has access to since he maintains it all. Prime target for a surefire way to do a lot of damage. If SQH talks, the Demon Lord can get past all the wards and kill, pillage and raze anything in a high profile area.

Love because if they hear he did this super injured, just to collapse onto SQH and spirit him away? The screams from the BL lovers. I bet LMY could belt out a few chapters pretty quick about it lol.

She writes the next love epic, countering HHP's propaganda by accident lol.

Prominently, both SQH and MBJ now know that SQH would save MBJ even when he might/is declared a traitor.

MBJ would feel so much more secure knowing that. Maybe even becomes forward enough that SQH can't mistake the interest.

And SQH just cut off his own path to safety by not letting his sect kill his King.

So now they both get to live with this neat bit of trivia.

Don't really have any other thoughts besides HHPM ends up dead and SQH is Queen in the North by the end. Maybe TLJ gets let out and hears a whisper about a child on the Luo River.

Would be hilarious if Cang Qiong found out that there's a loophole in the Cang Qiong wards to allow in demons that meet very specific conditions... like being a peak lord's spouse, so they don't even realize that Shang Qinghua modified the wards to let in Mobei Jun (and Shang Qinghua doesn't even realize that he could had hacked the wards by getting married instead of spending 6 months painstakingly learning the wards and then learning how to crack the wards.)

Somehow it doesn't even require the peak lord to know that they have a demonic spouse.

[thebroccolination]

THE EXPERTLY LAYERED WRITING IN THAMEPO'S FIRST EPISODE

My dudes.

The last time I was this jazzed about a series from the very first episode, I was watching Be My Favorite, which went on to become my favorite Thai series. Some of that was because of Krist's talent and charisma as Kawi, some of it was the chemistry between Krist and Gawin, some was the music, some was the production value overall, but most of it was the writing.

SO LET'S TALK ABOUT THE WRITING IN THAMEPO.

While I was watching the premiere of ThamePo yesterday, I messaged @hallowpen to rave about the script. "It has stakes!" I wrote. "A time limit! Character arcs!" Then they asked me who the director was, and when I told them it's Mui (Aticha Tanthanawigrai), they essentially said, "That makes sense."

Because Mui isn't only a director—she's primarily a scriptwriter.

And she definitely seems to know what she's doing.

The first episode has to do so much right to hook an audience and create a solid foundation for subsequent episodes.

It has to introduce the protagonist in their normal circumstances, then quickly endear them to the audience, establish what they want, show the obstacle(s) in their way, and give people a reason to keep watching. Do this while avoiding the traps of info-dumping or weighing down the narrative with too many characters at once. You have to build just enough of a structure to pique curiosity, but not so much that people can guess where the story is going.

ThamePo did all of that, and beautifully.

In the first scene, Po is interviewing for a creative job so he can return to his passion after spending three years helping Earn, his ex-boyfriend, achieve his goals. This interview shows us that Po is earnest and honest to a fault, which is helpful for endearing him to the audience, but a well-written scene is usually doing more than one thing. At the end of his short interview, the interviewers tell Po that his reason for taking a break was off-putting, and they advise him not to be quite so truthful in the future.

I'm curious if Po learning how to use his natural earnestness effectively will be part of his character arc. Because later in the episode, Po decides to embrace a mild level of dishonesty to get the job with ONER. He reluctantly agrees to give them a resume that his friend edited to sound more flattering, and in his interview, he…embellishes the truth.

This is the first time we see a flashback to the one time Po went to a MARS event to take photos for his friend, and it's fairly unremarkable on the surface. Just a quick shot of him in the crowd—one of many—and then a shot of him editing the footage at home.

No sign that this is setting up some fantastic layering in the script.

Now, before I go on, I just want to say that, y'know, stakes and character arcs and obstacles and time limits are all extremely basic facets of a story. The reason I'm excited that ThamePo has them is because a lot of the queer Thai series I've seen throughout the past five years…haven't had them. Especially in the onslaught of hundreds of BL and GL series produced in the past two years, the vast majority of them just seem to have been slapped together. A rough first draft kicked onto a smoking conveyer belt bleeding text and plot points.

But Be My Favorite is as good as it is in part because Waa campaigned for more time to work on the script. And ThamePo was apparently in the works for five years before Mui found the cast she wanted.

Good stories take time to create, so I'm glad that there are a small number of series actually getting that time.

Okay, so!

Let's talk layering.

Thame's first words to Po are, "Are you a sasaeng?"

For the uninitiated, sasaeng fans are an ever-growing concern in celebrity spaces, and given how much leeway GMMTV has given to sasaeng behavior in the past, I'm surprised and glad to see them allowing them to be a negative plot point.*

*Truthfully, I don't think you can tell an authentic story about modern-day celebrities without at least mentioning the horrific effects that sasaeng culture have on them.

Later, we find out that Thame saw Po at the fan meeting, and Thame gives Po the options of quitting on his own or being fired after Thame exposes the footage he's found.

So now we've seen this fan meeting twice: once from Po's perspective as a job he did for a friend, and now from Thame's perspective noticing some guy in the crowd.

We're incrementally getting more information as it becomes relevant.

And then, finally, after Po convinces Thame that he isn't a sasaeng or even a fan, Thame reveals the part that matters most to the story going forward:

The reason he remembered Po is because, in a crowd of people screaming to get his attention for their own sake, Po was the only one trying to help someone else. And I think that's another hint at Po's character arc: Earn took advantage of his earnestness and his selflessness and hurt him deeply, but he shouldn't have to give up that gentle side of himself to be happy.

This third layer shows us the most important detail of this moment and why the episode keeps coming back to it: this brief memory meant something to Thame.

I think the reason Thame was so aggressive to Po in the office when they met for the first time wasn't just that Thame suspected Po was a sasaeng.

Look at Thame's face in that last screencap: it touched his heart to see someone he assumed was a fan helping a younger, smaller fan. In a cut-throat industry where fame is mercurial, the public is vicious, the media poisonous, and fans fickle, little moments of genuine humanity and kindness must be priceless to the celebrities at the center of it all.

So, from Thame's perspective, recognizing that same "fan" at his workplace? Thinking that fan was intentionally filming a vulnerable moment between him and the CEO? It probably spoiled that precious memory. Maybe even introduced the possibility that Po just used an innocent child that day to manipulate Thame's emotions.

How little does Thame have in his life? We don't know yet, but maybe little moments like that are all that's propping him up anymore.

And we can garner all of this from the gradual layering of one scene.

That one fleeting moment from their shared past shapes everything for Thame and Po going forward. For Po, he was doing a favor for a friend and added an offhand gesture to a child. But for Thame, it was a ray of sincerity in a dangerously murky world he seems to feel strangled by.

One of my favorite directing and character choices in this episode is that Thame is soft-spoken in both anger and vulnerability. He's so tightly controlled at all times because of his public-facing job, and he's in such a low place emotionally, but he hasn't lost his kindness, either. Once he knows Po isn't a threat to him or his fellow members, Thame compliments the work Po's done, and he asks Po to continue his documentary work.

Thame isn't Earn. Po projects that onto him and quickly learns he's wrong.

(I really hope earnestness ends up being one of the main motifs in this series, because it suits both characters so well, and the world they're both in now makes living earnestly extremely challenging.)

All in all, the first episode exceeded my high expectations. I loved the teaser, I loved the trailer, and I'm delighted with the first episode. I hope the rest of the series lives up to this level of quality, but I'm not worried.

Judging by the writing, I think this series is in good hands. <3

[toskarin]

Toskarin as you are a wise and traveled user of the internet I turn to you with a difficult question: how do I express to my older relative that I think it is really awesome that they are essentially a fujoshi. In addition to published works, they write and consume BL fanfiction but only volunteered this info after I mentioned that I read kinda trashy romance and fanfiction. They were talking about it in kinda circular terms and I don't want to come across to strong. real question, what do?

"I like your yaoi, [relative]" and then you clap a hand on their shoulder and be sure to grip tightly. maximum eye contact, firm but cold