#it's mostly about TharnType

[letmereadinpeace4]

Love Sea episode 1 Commentary

So yesterday the first episode of Love Sea was released. After watching it, I decided to put down my thoughts and impressions. Hopefully I can keep it up until the end of the drama.

First, a few things:

I have bought and read the Love Sea novel. I will try my best not to spoil anything, but this knowledge informs my perception and my commentary. I have also read Love Sand, which chronologically happens before Love Sea, and I will spoil minor plot points if I think they can help understand elements in the drama.

There will be no Mame hate in this post, or in any other posts.

With that out of the way, let’s start:

The drama opens by separately introducing the main characters. Masahamut is diving, checking and noting damages, while Tongrak is on his way to the island, wearing the most impractical travel outfit he could have possibly worn. We learn that his stay on the island was booked by Connor Warrington, a close friend of his.

The character introduction is pretty well done. Masahamut is set up as a character who deeply cares about the well-being of the island he lives on. He is shown interacting with his friend Palm (they are not biologically related, they are senior/junior) and we get an impression of someone who communicates well with others and has a joking, playful side to him. Meanwhile, Tongrak is shown alone, even as he talks with Connor, we do not hear his replies, so we get the sense of someone cut off from other people. His outfit is also very fancy, showing his financial comfort, but also wildly impractical, showing that he is not very down to earth.

To explain who the characters are in the Mame universe, Masahamut is the best friend of Khom, who is Type’s childhood friend (from Tharntype). Khom is dating Connor, who is close friend with Tongrak. Tongrak is also a novelist, and his novels have been adapted by the movie director Aphros, who is Prapai’s uncle and the director who inspired Sky after his breakdown (not going to lie, with all those connections, I am low-key surprised that the closest we ever got to incest was Tum and Tar’s relationship).

At the docks, Tongrak is not exactly impressed with the place he will be staying at. We have it confirmed that Connor booked his stay because Tongrak’s next novel will be about the ocean (Connor my beloved I love you so much you asshole). Masahamut meets Tongrak at the docks and decide to piss him off by speaking in a Southern accent and not driving an appropriate vehicle to transport his suitcases. After Tongrak blows a fuse, Masahamut cuts him off and borrows a cargo tricycle.

This develops the characters a bit further. Tongrak shows a rather childish side and a lack of control over his emotions, while Masahamut’s confidence and capacity to adapt is set up. We also see more of his playful, “troll” side. I also like how his popularity on the island is subtly shown by having him borrow a bike from someone with no issue whatsoever. People trust him!

Tongrak immediately calls Connor to complain and demands to go home, further showing his childish, needy side. We get to hear Connor, who is mostly amused. Meanwhile, Masahamut unloads Tongrak’s suitcases with an amused expression and grabs the phone to chat up with Connor.

For more explanation about Connor and Masahamut’s relationship, they met when Connor stayed at the island for the holiday. He met Khom, who was working as Masahamut’s assistant and as Connor’s guide, and Masahamut helped Connor in his pursuit of Khom (in exchange for monetary compensation. Truly a win/win situation for everyone involved).

I love how entertained Masahamut is with Tongrak’s prissiness. He doesn��t care or take it personally, just rolls with it and takes advantage of it to troll him.

Masahamut escorts Tongrak to his room, who immediately pushes him out and ignore his offer to be at his disposal if he needs anything.

Sidenote, but I love Tongrak raging against the suitcase and later at the blankets. It is so cute, childish and relatable at the same time. I have definitely “scolded” a zipper because it wouldn’t open or the printer because it had issues.

We cut to Mook, Tongrak’s assistant/secretary, who is looking very busy and overworked. She is so far the most relatable character in the drama for me, down with the messy hair. She is called by Vi, Tongrak’s best friend, who promises to keep her busy. I love her, she is such a troll! Also a cameo appearance by Ja, which is definitely great to see! Hope he’s been well!

We cut back to Tongrak as he goes to a bar, wearing a really awesome sheer shirt and enjoying the attention he gets. Palm is his waiter, and immediately start hyping up Masahamut. We get confirmation that Masahamut is really popular both with the residents and with the tourists. We also learn that he is bi, which is great! We always love to see bi representation.

Tongrak seems pissed both at the fact that Masahamut is popular and by the fact that people would assume he is attracted to him, which he is definitely not! One hundred percent not! Not a trace of attraction here! Who cares if Masahamut is handsome anyway? Not him that’s who! And his sulking has nothing to do with it.

Next morning, we get to see how much Masahamut is involved in his community. While it may seem a bit heavy-handed, I do like that this aspect of Masahamut is so strongly enforced. It gives him a lot more depth and shows his maturity.

This mature impression is immediately countered when we see that he has a double of Tongrak’s keys and didn’t tell him. He immediately takes on the caretaker role and as he cleans up the room, we learn that Connor paid Masahamut to serve as Tongrak’s caretaker/nanny/guide/sitter during his time on the island. Is it like some kind of gift reciprocity? Masahamut helped Connor date his best friend so Connor helps Masahamut get with his own friend? I also really like the comparison of Tongrak to a cat. It suits him so well. We also have it mentioned again that Tongrak is very lonely (initially, Connor filled that loneliness void, but once he started dating Khom, he could no longer give as much attention to Rak as he used to, hence why he is trying to find a solution.)

Connor wakes Tongrak up. Not going to lie I would punch him! Do not bother me before I had my tea and breakfast! As he tries to punch him Tongrak falls on the ground, giving Masahamut a perfect view of his body.

The “seduction” scene is really well-done. You can see the switch as Tongrak finds himself in a more familiar territory and tries to seduce Masahamut by removing his robe/shirt. He really seems to enjoy having power over Masahamut, especially since the latter has annoyed him so much. However while Masahamut is admirative, he does not lose his head and starts commenting on Tongrak’s lack of body hair. You can really see the switch back as Tongrak loses his confidence. Peat acted really well in that scene!

I love how offended Tongrak is by Masahamut’s lack of sexual interest. Poor kitty got his pride hurt! Speaking of which I also love how Masahamut speaks of Tongrak like a kitty he is taking care of.

Tongrak tries to provoke Masahamut by constantly asking for a different breakfast and being picky, to no success. I always enjoy seeing Tongrak’s bratty side, especially when his brattiness doesn’t work.

Masahamut is such a troll! I love him already!

Meanwhile, Tongrak has found out a way to get Masahamut to do what he wants (to some extent). He pays him to get him to speak in a Central dialect. It really sets well the economic difference between them. Tongrak has money to burn and Masahamut will do anything for money. I love how much he doesn’t care about being bought and getting money from his clients. Masahamut is there singing “Material Girl” and doesn’t care about what anyone thinks!

I love it any time Tongrak’s more vain side is shown. The way he jumps when Masahamut mentions wrinkles. Also he is supposed to be in his late twenties/early thirties.

Masahamut offers his sexual services and can obviously see that Tongrak is more interested than he lets on. “Even if you were the last man on Earth, I still wouldn’t want you”. Oh hey! I heard a cool girl named Elizabeth Bennet say the exact same thing. I wonder what happened to her….

We cut back to Mook rehearsing her speech to Vi to not have to work as her assistant. By the way I love her shirt! As she dares Vi to call her, she answers her prayers and does so! We get to see that Mook has an itemized list of how to deal with Vi! That is some thoroughness! Anyway Vi claims a light bulb in her room is busted and that Mook needs to come and change it. I see Vi subscribes to the “pulling her hair” strategy in courtship. Meanwhile Mook is getting more and more erratic and her faces are amazing! She looks offended, outraged and confused at the same time. Also I love how messy her hair is.

“I’m a frail lead actress who can’t do anything on her own” as she sits on the ladder she used to bust her own light bub to get her crush to come to her place! I love Vi she’s such a troll! Also does she have Mook’s picture? I can’t really see well.

In his room, Tongrak is having trouble writing the sex scene and we learn he needs to have sex or to hug someone to properly write sex scenes. It really is interesting that Tongrak needs an intense physical situation to describe a romantic sex scene, because it suggests that he cannot conceptualize the intensity of the emotions involved unless he experiences a “similar”, physical sensation. It really goes with him being lonely but also suggests he never truly offered his heart to anyone.

The next day, Tongrak is working on his novel, looking extremely cute with his round glasses, while Masahamut is waiting. He soon gets bored and starts reading what Tongrak is writing. I wonder if the sex scene he reads out is a random scene that was written especially for this or if it was taken from another of Mame’s novels. I cannot place it.

Anyway Masahamut is bored of it and takes Tongrak on a boat to show him around. I love how Masahamut gently scolds Tongrak and tells him to sit properly so that he doesn’t fall, causing Tongrak to sulk. It sets up their future dynamic. Also Masahamut don’t scold the kitty! He’s a city kitty and has never been on the sea before.

Tongrak is called by Mook and doesn’t hear her well. Yeah in the middle of the sea it is a lost cause. Masahamut decides to take a dive while Tongrak is on the phone, causing him to panic. I actually agree with Tongrak here! For safety reasons Masahamut should have warned him.

Tongrak freaks out and starts crying. Masahamut tries to reassure him by poiting out that he’s fine but is unsuccessful. I love how he takes the freak out seriously and only reaches to touch him after Tongrak has been unresponsive. Tongrak scolds him and Masahamut reaches out to hug him and apologize. I love the light little kiss on the forehead and how Tongrak slowly accepts Masahamut’s hug.

Afterwards, Tongrak is embarrassed about his crying episode (don’t worry baby it happens to the best of us) and plays the shy Victorian maiden when Masahamut moves to remove his shirt as if he didn’t wear a sheer shirt in public two days before. Masahamut offers to show him the good stuff, and just like Tongrak I was not thinking of clams when he said that! Again, I love how confident Masahamut is! He is aware of his charm and sees well the effect he has on Tongrak. The episode ends with them still on the roof of the boat.

Overall I really enjoyed this episode. It was a good set up for the characters and I love the atmosphere they created. I look forward to seeing more of it.

[lurkingshan]

Hi bestie, it's me, your local unhinged trash panda.

With so many recent shows (ahem mostly thai) being kinda trash and not in a good way. is there any QLs that you consider 'this show is trash but i'm having fun with it anyway,' ? you also can ignore this if you can't come up with anything cause you have standards unlike me 55555

Oh bestie, if you could only see my GagaOOLala watch history you would know the trashy center of my heart. I definitely enjoy trashy media just like everyone else, but I try to take it for what it is and not pretend it's doing anything high-minded, so I don't write much about it. I feel no real defensiveness for my trashy favs; if other people say they hate them it's "Yeah, that's fair, anyway I LOVE IT."

That said, I do tend to think of trashy media in two categories: somewhat trashy execution of actually interesting ideas, and all around unserious trash that can only be enjoyed if you decide to laugh at everything happening on your screen. Currently I would put Jack and Joker in the first category and Eccentric Romance in the second category of trashy shows I am enjoying live (don't yell at me, y'all, I am happy for you if you are able to engage with these shows on a deeper level but I really can only enjoy them by turning my brain off). I was trying to watch Kidnap as trashy fun, too, but it just got so boring and sappy that it was no longer amusing for me.

Trashy BL Favorites

So, let me tell you about some of my favorite trash. In the first category of trashy execution of interesting ideas, I would put:

TharnType

History 4: Close to You

Dangerous Drugs of Sex

Addicted

Love in the Air

Word of Honor

And in the second category of all around trash with no particularly interesting ideas that I loved watching anyway:

TharnType 2: Seven Years of Love

Destiny Seeker

Cutie Pie

Bump Up Business

Don't Say No

Grand Guignol

Kiseki: Dear to Me

Why R U?

And now you got me wanting to rewatch most of these. I need the currently airing shows to slow down for awhile so I can spend more time in my trash heap.

[absolutebl]

There was a surprising amount of sex in Be Mine Superstar! I really wasn’t expecting it…. Similarly, Love Syndrome had a LOT less sex than I was promised by the trailer…

Are there any BLs that had either many more or many less NC scenes than you were expecting before you started watching them?

BLs that exceeded (or underperformed) sexy expectations

Interesting question. So far, not that many Thai BLs. But I think that's just because I pay attention to the pairs and the actors in Thai stuff, and you sort of get a feel for what they will (and won't) take on. So in your examples: I know JaFirst did high heat so I expected the producers to lean into that advantage as part of BMSS because, frankly, it didn't have much else going for it.

I haven't watched Love Syndrome III yet but knowing Frank I wouldn't expect it to go super high heat in terms of actual physical contact.

I guess the ones that have surprised me are mostly out of Thailand are pulps that I knew nothing about going in. Let me see...

Thai BL that ended up being way hornier/better than I expected

Secret Crush On You - such a weird show but BillySeng brought IT, whatever IT is, they got it.

Love in Translation - yeah, what happened in that sauce isle boys? Very saucy. Whatever pun, more please.

2 Moons 3 - about on par with ForthBeam from 2 Moons 2 but nothing else in the previous 2 series would lead one to expect the horny we got in this show on the main.

Second Chance - yeah it was a throw away pulp and this studio is hit or miss on chemistry but it had one of the best kisses of its year.

Big Dragon - I don't know what I expected form the trailers, but it wasn't as good as it turned out to be. Don't get me wrong, the rest of the show is naff, but the chemistry/heat levels are scorching.

Ghost Host, Ghost House - generally the horror stuff doesn't do chemistry well, but these two have some of the best chemistry EVER put into a pulp. I really hope we see more of them.

KinnPorsche - It's no secret I'm not as wild about this show as most, but I did think the VegasPete stuff was unexpectedly killer in all ways.

Oh My Sunshine Night - yeah it was exactly what one expects from OhmFluke but THE SIDES!!!! I mean... WHAT? I'm not mad, just pleasantly surprised.

TharnType - Okay but remember at the time what we'd had from Mame was LBC (relatively low heat) and other Thai stuff I was familiar with at the time was Make It Right, Love Sick, SOTUS, and UWMA. TT was way higher heat that I'd seen from Thailand before. And then...

Why R U? - ZeeSaint's "away trip to the beach" full on sex scenes plus repping for verse was just crazy at the time. Especially since Saint played Pete in LBC before this and Zee was new to BL. Add that to the very odd and disjointed (and miss-matched) SaifahZon counter story and WRU? was this insane all over the place viewing experience, including the heat levels. There was this "what will they do next?" kind of tension over the production. Not the story (because who was following that?) but the PRODUCTION. At the time, it was welcome, but truly bonkers. What a way to drive narrative tension... pure high heat chaos.

Thai BLs where chemistry failed meet my (relatively low) expectations

My Ride - honestly, if they had just gotten the kiss right this might even have earned a 10/10 from me

Unforgotten Night - ugh

Bite Me - double ugh

Friend Forever - I know I'm the only person who watched this but why could we not have gotten ONE kiss from the leads?

Nitman - studies have since shown us it is entirely not Noh's fault... see Oh My Sunshine Night

Wedding Plan - the leads were fine, but Mame usually fails me in every way except chemistry, so "fine" is not up to her usual standards. Those standards being predominantly "they hawt together" and nothing else. There wasn't even a side dish couple to pick up the slack noodle... so to speak.

Korean BL

For most of 2022 I was consistently getting surprised by Korean BL's chemsitry when it was good but now I've settled into half expecting it yet still being delighted when it happens and is well done.

I do think Semantic Error was a bit of a seed change for them.

The problem is, now we know they can do it, we are starting to get pissed when it's bad or entirely absent.

Taiwanese BL

Taiwan is the opposite of Korea.

I expect good chemistry and almost always always get it. I struggle to think of a time when they've disappointed me (in this arena). Maybe a few? But I tend to cut Taiwan more slack than other countries because they have so few BLs and they are generally so consistent. If they falter at all, at least the side couple will pick up the slack.

Japanese BL

I have no expectations of Japan. Life as a BL fan is a lot easier that way.

(source)

[halliescomut]

Mame BL's MasterPost

Anything Mame Related, including TharnType, Don't Say No, Love in the Air, Wedding Plan, Love Sea, LITA-japan, Boy Next World

Boy Next World: Intro to story and characters

Official Trailer post with discussion of potential story changes BIG SPOILERS

Post- episode 3 thoughts - basically everything I've been kind of musing about through the first 3 episodes.

Post-episode rambles

Wedding Plan: They met as Children Lom Nuea

Love in the Air

Payu & Rain Conspiracy Theory

1 year Anniversary video

Sky becoming soft for Prapai

Pai/Sky oneshots

Prap-Eyes gifset

We were robbed

Prapai/Sky and boundaries

Prapai & Reformed Rake character type

Sky/Prapai thoughts

Episode 8 thoughts

Sky in the One Night Stand

Noeul’s acting

Rain is not a bad friend

Payu and having his hair down-hair care as a show of affection

Love in the Air is a Character-driven story

Love in the Air- Japan

Episode 1 thoughts

Episode 2 thoughts

Episode 3 & 4 thoughts

Episode 5 thoughts

Episode 6 thoughts

Episode 7 thoughts

Episode 8 (finale) thoughts

Love Sea

Love Sea: Intro to characters

These are mostly watch-alongs with a smattering of more indepth thoughts.

Episode 1 Additional point about acting

Episode 2 Body Language thoughts

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

Episode 7

Episode 8

[brazilian-whalien52]

10 BL Boys I Want Carnally

I was tagged by @kennyomegasweave ❤️

Honestly thou, what is attraction? What is wanting carnally? Almost no idea but a slight one

1. Porsche from Kinnporsche. Come on, it's impossible to not drool enough to fill a river to Apo

2. Zhao Yulan from guardian. Him and this smile made to fuck me over, plus the stupid lollipop. Shen, I know why you waited for centuries

3. Babe from pit babe. Okay, but this choice is not exactly babe but pavel? I had the biggest crush on 2moons and honestly that is my fav but I am too old for that pavel now! Although I loved those fucking tattoos

4. Kim from Kinnporsche. You know maybe here is my love for Jeff showing because damn he hits hard but also when I look for Kim pictures he is mostly adorable? I am just attract to his cynic baby girls rockstar vibe

5. Rain from love in the air. He is just so mesmerizing?

6. Xia Yao from advance bravely. But honestly both leads here are such a big cast... The rain scene was spectacular but I was so obsessed over baby girl Xia Yao that is not even funny. I had a picture I was obsessed that i cant find anymore

7. Gavreel from Gameboys. Just the way he says baby is my weak spot. My weakest spot is always a pretty smile (see apo above too and others). Nothing can destroy me as much as one and his smile is just...

8. Pat from Bad Buddy. Funny enough normally not me type but honestly pat is just so charming that he is impossible not to love. If he looks at me like that I feel weak on my knees (anyway why am i lying about type when he also has the prettiest smile)

9. My personal weatherman. Which one? Well you see i do not know how to explain this. Yoh is just so fluffy and just out of this world and I just want to trace Mizuki moles. Together they are just... Ah

10. Tharn from tharntype. I know controversial, he fucked up a lot but you don't have all the facts! Facts 👇

you guys cant believe how face blind i am and the revelation I had doing this. Fucking lord.

Anyway, I had to control myself to not add to many gifs? I want to add more by them become too much. It is all pavel fault!

Is there anybody that hasn't done this challenge yet? It seems like most people had done, if you weren't tag before please feel free to do it. I am tagging @theelast-straw @hyperfocusmadness @jackpoompkin @troubled-mind @telomeke @lookingforshangrila @chocomilkshakeblog @twig-tea because I do not seem to remember they doing it?

[craziestfangirl98]

All the BL series I've watched in 2024

I started watching BLs properly on 11th Dec 2023. About a 13ish months now. I have been planning to make this list forever now but have only now finally gotten to it. I cannot believe that I have watched close to 70-ish series in total (more if you consider special episodes and our sky episodes as their own).

Although many were watched as part of catching up with all that is there now, those in bold are ones that I watched at least a little bit episode by episode. I had so gotten used to binge watching things that finally, when I did watch series giving it's time, it is scratching an itch that has rarely happened in a long time.

Anyway, without further ado here's a list of all the series I've watched over the past year.

Most of the ratings, is obviously purely subjective and doesn't have a rhyme or reason for the scoring. It's mostly a matter of vibes, rewatching and how memorable I found the show to be. I haven't really rated the special episodes separately. Anyway, that's about it I guess.

Thai Shows

180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us 9.5

A Tale of Thousand Stars 10

Ai Long Nhai

Bad Buddy 9.5

Bed Friend 8

Between Us 8.5

Big Dragon 7

Cherry Magic Remake 9

Cooking Crush 8

Cupid's Last Wish 8.5

Cutie Pie 7.5

Cutie Pie 2 You 7

Dark Blue Kiss 8

Don't Say No 6.5

En of Love: Love Mechanics 7

I Feel You Linger in the Air 7.5

I Told Sunset About You 9.5

Jack & Joker 10

KinnPorsche 7

Kiss Me Again: Pete-Kao 7.5

Knock Knock Boys 9.5

Love In the Air 8

Love in the Air: Special Episode

Love Mechanic 8

Love Sea 7.5

Moonlight Chicken 10

My Dear Gangster Oppa 7

My School President 9

Never Let Me Go 7.5

Not Me 9

Only Friends 8.5

Our Skyy 2

Our Skyy 2: A Tale of Thousand Stars 10

Our Skyy 2: Bad Buddy 10

Our Skyy 2: My School President 9

Our Skyy 2: Never Let Me Go 7.5

Our Skyy 2: The Eclipse 8

Pit Babe 7

SOTUS 7.5

TharnType 7

TharnType 2: 7 Years Of Love 6.5

The Eclipse 8

The Rebound 8

The Sign 8.5

The Sign Special Episode

The Trainee 9

Theory of Love 8

This Love Doesnt Have Long Beans 7.5

Triage 8.5

Until We Meet Again 8

We Are 8

Wedding Plan 10

Wedding Plan Special Episode

Japanese Shows

At 25:00, in Akasaka 9

Cosmetic Play Lover 7

Love in the Air Japanese Adaption 8.5

My Personal Weatherman 10

Old Fashion Cupcake 10

Perfect Propose 8

Tokyo in April.. 8

Korean Shows

Cherry Blossons After Winter 8

Choco Milk Shake 8

Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo 10

Love For Love's Sake 9.5

Our Dating Sim 10

Semantic Error 9

The Eighth Sense 10

The Time of Fever 9.5

To My Star 9.5

To My Star 2: Our Untold Stories 9

Unintentional Love Story 7.5

Where Your Eyes Linger 8

Wish You: Your Melody From My Heart 7

Taiwanese Shows / Movies

Kiseki: Dear to Me 8

Marry My Dead Body 8

The On1y One 10

Unknown the Series 10

We Best Love: Fighting Mr. 2nd 9

We Best Love: No. 1 For You 9.5

Your Name Engraved Herein 9

Out of the entire list, the only series I haven't finished and will probably not come back to it any point later is Naughty Babe

I know I'm like suuuper late to the lists and didn't manage to make one for anything other than the bl superlatives but.... I'm planning to make two other lists by the end of this month hopefully (at least the first one for sure)

Favourite characters

Most memorable watches.

Anyway, the portion underneath are series I'm currently watching/keeping up with.

Currently Watching: Two of these I've heard great things about but only just managed to get to watching them, so probably will be binge watching them. The other two, I've been having fun watching them and am super excited to see where they go.

Caged Again

Century Of Love

Thame - Po 

The Heart Killers

[bengiyo]

6, 11, 24

6. which ship fans are the most annoying?

Brallie. I'm still mad about it. In BL it's probably TharnType for me.

11. number of fandom-related words you've filtered

36. Mostly kpop if I'm being honest. I have no problems with the artists, but it gets tiresome scrolling past folks I don't recognize.

24. topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

I think it's any time we have to start debating whether or not something is BL, either because it's good and people want it to be treated more seriously, or it's experimental and people don't want it to be classified in genre. It's frustrating when we're fighting over whether romantic narratives about men who like each other should be classified as BL when we have shows like Shadow that used BL marketing to bait us into watching something that was not romantic at all.

For the Choose Violence asks.

[waitmyturtles]

Turtles Catches Up With Old GMMTV: Dark Blue Kiss and Our Skyy x Kiss Me Again 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 Dark Blue Kiss and Our Skyy x Kiss Me Again, and the start of the creation of Aof Noppharnach’s universe of singular BL tropes and themes.]

Let me say this: 2019 was an insane year for BLs, right? To have He’s Coming To Me, Dark Blue Kiss, AND TharnType coming out in the same year seems almost overwhelming to me (even though I know that HCTM was mostly buried for years). 

My very good luck over the last three (THREE!) weeks has been in just enjoying an INDULGENCE of past and current work by Aof Noppharnach. Studying his work is a major goal of this Old GMMTV Challenge project, as I’ve been seriously destroyed, personally, by the layers and implications of his work as an Asian director and screenwriter, with me as an Asian-American viewer watching his shows that I can relate to on basically almost every level of my existence, while not being queer. 

But, hilariously: an INITIAL goal of this project -- I cannot believe I’m saying this now that I’ve already gone through so many shows -- was that, before deciding to get to know Thai BLs historically, I had long intended to watch Dark Blue Kiss as a means of getting to know Tay and New. BECAUSE (cough cough): I am an absolute digging, sniffling, barking golden retriever for Cherry Magic. I LIVE FOR CHERRY MAGIC. I stan so stupid hard for Machida Keita and Akaso Eiji. I own their dumb mugs! I have DVDs, magazines, so much CM shit in my house. LIKE, I LIVE FOR THAT SHOW AND LOVE IT SO MUCH. 

So Tay as Kurosawa and New as Adachi? I needed to know who these dudes were before I watched them in Cherry Magic. (I’m totally giggling about this now.)

OBVIOUSLY, I’ve gotten MUCH WISER, much more HIP to the SCENE, if y’all will, and I understand much better how important Tay and New are as an OG GMMTV ship. And for them to appear in Dark Blue Kiss, after originating PeteKao in Kiss and Kiss Me Again -- I understand the meaning and importance of that in 2019, now, through my watchlist project.

There are a few themes that come to mind as I think about how I’ll review this show:

1) Watching the birth of the singular BL tropes that P’Aof created in Dark Blue Kiss -- t-shirts, picture boards, etc., 2) How he balances and integrates Big Themes in his storytelling, and 3) How he chooses particular actors to buck certain assumptions in Thai society regarding appearance.

I’ve now seen almost all of P’Aof’s major works, save for Still 2gether. And I’ve watched these out of order, although I have chronological rewatches of A Tale of Thousand Stars and Bad Buddy (and their respective Our Skyy 2 episodes) coming up on the watchlist.

So I couldn’t help but see A LOT of proto-BBS in Dark Blue Kiss, which I really enjoyed seeing, as a slavish BBS girlie. I loved seeing P’Aof’s tropes in historical form. The picture posterboard above Pete’s bed. Mork’s and Sun’s matching t-shirts. The birth of the engineering trope in P’Aof’s own oeuvre, with the first appearance of the architecture red shirt on Rain. Finger promises in HCTM and DBK becoming fist bumps in BBS. I love teasing these out and seeing what P’Aof was DOING by creating his OWN platter of tropes that he’d come to leverage and rely on in his future works -- all for creating a lovely sense of universe and intimacy among his beloved couples. (Pat wearing the forest ranger shirt in Our Skyy 2... I’m still laughing and shaking my head at that.)

I understand what P’Aof was doing by teasing out the PeteKao story and kind of slipping it away from the Kiss franchise -- not only do I understand it, I love the subversion of it. And I love that, while he was doing that, he was creating his OWN flavor of BL, complete with HIS own tropes and themes, while leveraging an already-existing property, to draw attention to the show vis à vis Kiss and TayNew. I think, by playing around with the bones of something that already existed, that he could begin to take risks to create an oeuvre that we know, now, in 2023, is utterly unique, and in my opinion, brilliant and important. (And I think it’s important to note this in particular because of how buried He’s Coming To Me was, and I think Dark Blue Kiss was an important move for P’Aof to make post-HCTM for GMMTV and for his career.)

(Tangentially, I think He’s Coming To Me and Moonlight Chicken stand alone as defiers of the BL genre, only minimally influenced by the stereotypical BL tropes, while featuring ONLY P’Aof’s own style of BL in their foundations. And as I’ve said previously -- I believe HCTM was way ahead of its time in 2019. I’ll talk a little more about this in my TharnType review later this week.)

But not only was P’Aof creating his own flavor of BL in DBK, as INFLUENCED by previous BL tropes, I also see that he was beginning to really burst out in establishing his own language of analysis of the macrosystemic issues that face the queer community -- issues that we see repeated and analyzed in his future works, particularly in ATOTS and BBS. In DBK, the major issues he tackles are socioeconomic inequality and internalized homophobia, and how these issues play out, internally and externally, among couples, their families, and their social worlds. 

These two issues crash headlong in the form of Non (played by the cutest-wutest AJ, who was SO! EVIL! but I wub him). Kao has to teach Non -- he must, because Kao needs the money to support his family, and his mom’s job would be at risk if she kept Kao, her son, from teaching her director’s son in Non.

Pete hates Non. Pete KNOWS Non is up to no good, and is after Pete’s man. Pete’s jealous of Non.

The simple equation here is: if Pete and Kao were out, then Pete wouldn’t have to feel jealous, because Kao could tell Non that Kao has a boyfriend. Pete is out to his dad. (BTW: PETE’S DAD IS THE BEST DAD IN BL, BAR NONE. PETE’S DAD NEEDS TO DAP UP WITH THUN’S MOM IN HCTM. P’Aof writes SUCH amazing parents. Gaipa’s mom FTW also.) 

I want to make quick reference to a meditation I wrote last week on pain and suffering in Asian BLs that notes this phenomenon -- what pain could have been either avoided or mitigated if a couple is able to be out. I’m of the belief that in Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars, that Pat and Pran could have possibly avoided their tiff before the trip to Pha Pun Dao if they had been out. If they had been out -- Pat would not have had to fib about their relationship to his engineering bros, and Pran would not have overheard Pat saying that Pran always needed Pat. They could have avoided the confusion all together.  

Pete and Kao fall into the exact same boat -- this is where P’Aof births a concept that will repeat itself in OS2 x BBS. Pete wants Kao to be out to Kao’s mother, so that they can be out together, to everyone. And: Pete has financial stability and security.

Pete’s boxes are checked. Kao has much more tangled issues. Kao THINKS his mom will not be happy to find out her son is gay. AND: HE’S the breadwinner. (I actually thought this was a touch confusing in the show, as Kao’s mom is clearly a teacher -- but relies on Kao as if he’s the breadwinner.) In any case, it’s clear that Kao adopts the role as the male head of the family, while still depending on his mother for emotional fulfillment. 

In other words: Kao has a much more TRADITIONAL background to contend with. To me, that’s à la Pat, à la Uncle Jim, à la Phupha, even à la Ming. All of these men have their backgrounds, their roles, all laid out for them by family and society, through culture and expectation. 

That’s a lot for Kao to break from. Because Pete has confidence through the reality that his life’s needs are squared away, Pete HAS the emotional room and ability to push Kao to be out. And I think that’s why it takes Kao so long in the show to move forward and to meet Pete where Pete was at. 

Here’s my criticism of DBK. I think DBK is a lighter show than P’Aof’s other works (again, without having seen Still 2gether). I think that’s because P’Aof knew that he still had to hew to some of what Kiss and Kiss Me Again had given him by way of cinematography (a lighter and fluffier filmmaking style than his usual serious lighting and camera work) and by tone (much more soapy and a touch more dramatic than I’m used to seeing in his oeuvre). (Oh, but, but: THAT OPENING THEME, YES, FRIENDS, WAS A BANGER. SHEEEEET. THAT THEME SONG! THOSE CURTAINS! THE WIND! THE STARES. KAO’S TEAR. So good!)

And I’m not entirely sure that P’Aof was able to get as DEEP, internally, with Kao as maybe he could have if he himself had been able to write Kao from Kao’s very existent start in fiction. P’Aof was taking this already-established character through an emotional reckoning that still needed to stick with a kind of Kao that had been born in the previous Kiss versions.

It’s a minor quibble, but I think the Non storyline ran for too long. I think it could have wrapped up much more quickly. I think we got a lot more time with Sun and Mork than I could have expected because P’Aof kind of drew out Non to keep the 12-episode bundle together.

Again, minor criticism. However, I *did* happen to appreciate how much TIME Pete and Kao spent fighting towards the end of series. That lengthy disagreement allowed Kao to really begin processing his own internal change to recognize his love for Pete, and to play around with what he’d be willing to risk by way of his family to be with Pete. It allowed Kao to consider that he NEEDED to demonstrate personal responsibility to Pete, and even to his family. I really thought that was in-depth and brilliant, and despite minor quibbles about New’s acting, I thought New carried it very well.

What’s amazing to me, though, is that Kao CLEARLY MISSED that his mom TOTALLY KNEW that he was gay, ha. Kao was SO CONSUMED with concern for what his mother WOULD THINK, that he didn’t see -- with his own two eyes! with Pete at the dinner table! -- that his mom CLEARLY KNEW. Kao’s mom side-eyed that basically from the start of the series, honey.

Despite that, what took my heart out a number of times in this show is that P’Aof showed empathy to Kao, and maybe even to the viewers that may have missed Kao’s mom’s silent acknowledgement before Kao’s coming out at the end. P’Aof was telling all of us this in the end quotes at the end of his episodes -- another unique P’Aof trope that was birthed in HCTM, and that I absolutely loved seeing in DBK and ATOTS.

(As a mom, that first slide makes me LOL so much, because it’s so true.)

Even while I felt that some DBK episodes were a little too long, a little too drawn out, these end quotes brought me back to what P’Aof was working on achieving in regards to revelation: that our human existence is so much more enriched if we’re able to transcend our worldly bullshit, even a little bit.

We see that in Kao with his mom. We see that in PETE, with his willingness to calm the eff down, bruv, and focus on his studies, and focus on managing his anger, for the sake of Kao, and for the sake of his own future. We see that in Sun, as he reorganizes himself and his insecurities to become an even better barista (I LOVE COFFEE IN BLs). We see that in Mork, as he ALSO demonstrates a willingness to calm the eff down, to promise to stop fighting to Sun, and to work on his own internalized homophobia to meet Sun as a partner. 

(I’m not going to spend too much time on Sun and Mork, but I absolutely LOVED PODD AND GAWIN, and I REALLY liked Podd’s portrayal of Sun’s very strong forwardness in his attraction to Mork. I loved his CONFIDENCE. I thought it was sexy, it was rooted in queer love and attraction, and I thought it struck a different and OPEN tone of movement in relationship-building that I haven’t seen in the previous watchlist BLs. Sun reminded me a bit of our fabulous guys in Make It Right -- that kind of almost earnestly honest openness.)

I want to note, in conversations with the wonderful @lurkingshan​, that we realized that in HCTM and DBK, we saw the start of P’Aof making a few other subversive choices in his shows. I wish I were more of an expert on the impact of colorism in Thai media and society, but I can extrapolate enough as an Indian (unfortunately). I couldn’t even SEE that Tay was a shade or two darker than New, but so be it. @lurkingshan​ noted for me (thank you, Shan!) that it was a subversive choice for P’Aof to center Pete’s story of change, from a bruiser to a carer, within a character that was slightly more melanated than his co-lead. I note that P’Aof shows no concern over casting other melanated actors -- Ohm Pawat and Earth Pirapat, multiple times -- in major lead roles with lighter-skinned co-leads. I love these choices and that he’s pushing boundaries across fiction and non-fiction. (And that P’Aof focuses on the quality of the ACTING of these dudes, as well as their looks -- that they should not be overlooked for being melanated.)

Like I said earlier, DBK was a lighter show than others of his that I watched. It was the first show of his that I watched that had a pre-established universe in the Kiss series. But I still fell in love with it -- I couldn’t help myself. I mean, come awn, Tay Tawan. Holy noodles. 

Could Pete and Kao have had a touch more feral chemistry, à la Pat and Pran and Jim and Wen? Sure, but I’m not complaining. I think, as compared to the PeteKao Kiss BL cuts, that P’Aof got a TREMENDOUS amount more out of Tay and New (especially Tay -- Tay’s Pete in DBK and his process of change was FABULOUS).

And I noted one last connection from Kiss/DBK to BBS, as I closed out my watch with the non-P’Aof Kiss Me Again edition of Our Skyy. I noted that Pete and Kao planted a tree together. 

And then I remembered that P’Aof had beloved Pat and Pran do just the same in Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS.

Pete and Kao, Pat and Pran, plant a plant together that will grow and grow. The plant lives out in the open, growing tall, towards the sun.

It gives me the chills, a warm and fuzzy happiness, to see these patterns being born, and P’Aof paying attention to them (even if the plant idea wasn’t his originally) -- because these artistic, dramatic tropes end up communicating so much to me about the depth of love that P’Aof is able to render, through his and our beloved couples, in his utterly fabulous shows.

[Welp -- if you’ve been reading my late-night liveblogs, you’ll know that my brain has been IMPALED by TharnType. I finished the series this past weekend in the heat of angst, and I’ll do the rare thing of releasing two reviews in one week -- I’m planning right now to drop the TharnType review on Thursday. If you’re a TT fan, then trigger warning: I have lots of things to say about this show that are the most critical I’ve ever written about any drama. 

On another, MUCH HAPPIER note, after a FABULOUS conversation with the WONDERFUL @so-much-yet-to-learn​, I’ve added GAP the Series to this list. With Saint investing in it, after his whole deal with the PerthSaint and ZeeSaint mishaps, I’m just really impressed that an important figure in the BL world has taken active steps to invest directly in more directly queer content. I think GAP is a must on this watchlist to understand the direction that Thai QL in general is going -- especially with 23.5 on the way later this year. (EEEEEEE!)

With that, here’s the latest version of the list. As ever, I’ll take comments, recs, etc.!

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) (review here) 7) Love By Chance (2018) (review here) 8) Kiss Me Again: PeteKao cuts (2018) (no review) 9) He’s Coming To Me (2019) (review here) 10) Dark Blue Kiss (2019) and Our Skyy x Kiss Me Again (2018)  11) TharnType (2019) (review coming) 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) (watching) 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) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For The Sake Of Rewatching Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS 22) Lovely Writer (2021) 23) I Promised You the Moon (2021) 24) Not Me (2021-2022) 25) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) (thesis here) 26) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) and Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (2023) OGMMTVC Rewatch 27) 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)] 28) KinnPorsche (2022) (tag here) 29) The Eclipse (2022) (tag here) 30) GAP the Series (2022-2023) (Thailand’s first GL) 31) My School President (2022-2023) and Our Skyy 2 x My School President (2023) 32) Moonlight Chicken (2023) (tag here) 33) Bed Friend (2023) (tag here) (Cheewin’s latest show, depicting a queer joy journey among working adults)]

[firebluewood157]

Oh, no yeah, they Queerbaited

You know what’s really interesting? I love Mew Suppasit and Gulf. I really do whether they were ever together or separate I didn’t really care. As an American you are definitely aware that the actors stop acting right after they hear cut and there’s nothing more to it. Him coming out and saying that Gulf and him were doing it all for fan service and that they were never a thing was also a power move and I am in no way hurt by it or feel some type of way. In fact I’m excited to see him happy with someone he loves and puts the light back in his eyes. It’s always heartwarming to see a actor grow as a person and evolve into someone you always knew they could be. This goes for both Mew and Gulf.....this being said.

They did Queerbait but BL industry style. After Mew posted “Try searching up Queerbait”, I was like bet I’ve always heard of it but I’ve never really looked it up specifically.

*Queerbaiting is a marketing technique for fiction and entertainment in which creators hint at, but then do not depict, same-sex romance or other LGBTQ+ representation.[6] The purpose is to attract ("bait") a LGBTQ+ or straight ally audience with the suggestion or possibility of relationships or characters that appeal to them.[7] -Wiki*

What I’m about to say goes for all bl couples that does fan service. What the entertainment companies and actors are unintentionally doing is creating a narrative separate from the show the actors starred in.

MewGulf wasn’t seen as Tharntype, Maxtul wasn’t seen as KornKnock, Offgun isn’t seen as all of the characters played...hence why the actors names are one entity unlike mostly any other countries in the world. Having them partake in fan service creates an entirely different story which especially gets worse the more you reuse the same duos because they remain stronger and withstand the characters that they play (*coughs* GMMTV)

I say MewGulf unintentionally queerbaited because the story of themselves was spun stronger than their characters (also something GMMTV is bad about doing). Thus led to a narrative where they did portray a relationship and under all terms but verbally, was romantic. This had every single person comfortable with the idea of their relationship as one would be with a show because although they are playing characters on screen, fan service leads them to play a character offscreen as well and these “characters” portrayed a relationship. Him not clarifying it sooner and leaving it ambiguous is what really sealed the deal. I know for a fact (although I have no problem with it again) that if his lover is announced and she’s a female, he’d be hit with atrocious backlash.

You can’t act in love, tell everyone that you love that person and be surprised when they think you’re in love with that person. If any single bl couple that displayed fan service was swapped out with a girl they would automatically be considered in a relationship. There is a reason why when that KP stuff happened, many people weren’t focused on the fact that BibleBuild wasn’t real. It’s because they never really partook in fan service to the extent of other couples. Clockwise, if ZeeNunew came out as not real then a riot would ensue because they have built their entire marketing strategy around “dating”.

Tl;dr/ Fan service leads to a separate narrative that creates a story with the actors as the main character which is the strongest appeal in the BL industry. This in turn queerbaits fans as they fall in love with the entertainment portrayal of the story created by companies. MewGulf being outrageously good at it set them up for destruction for when they actually decided to publicly date. As long as this continues, this will happen with every single BL couple in the industry that continues to display fan service.

[becauseimanicequeen]

Rewatching Love Syndrome III and Wishing the Amnesia was Contagious

This is part of my Crazy-Ass End-of-Year Rewatch Challenge where I will rewatch some of my favorite shows, some of my least favorite shows, and some shows in between. I pulled another title out of the bowl (yes, I'm letting chance choose for me) and got Love Syndrome III.

I can't promise cohesive thoughts in these posts because it's the end of the year, I'm currently living in right-brain land 10+ hours per day, and I'm TIRED because the darkness of winter is coming (it's basically here). You've been warned.

Also, since this is a rewatch, there are spoilers ahead.

Background

I binged this for the first time almost right after it had completed its airing in 2023. Most of what I can remember from it is the amnesia plot and that I was confused as hell because it very much felt like a third part of a story that didn't have the first two parts (only annoying flashbacks).

I also remember that I watched it to distract myself because it was around the 1-year mark of my dad's passing. So, perhaps my 4-star rating was a "thank you for the distraction" rather than anything else.

Let's see.

(Just like with For Him, I'm definitely watching this at 2x speed.)

Let's Go, Amnesia Plot

I'd forgotten about the wig! How could I forget about the wig?!

(In my defense, I binged almost 2 12-episode-long Thai QL shows every day that summer.)

I'd also forgotten about all the fuss about cake...

I'm not even 3 and a half episodes into this show, and I'm already losing my patience with Day and Itt. Day is such an asshole (his amnesia is just an explanation, not an excuse) and Itt is a spoiled brat (partially because of his parents but also because Day groomed him to be dependent on Day for the rest of their lives).

And then there are all the flashbacks to explain character dynamics and relationships and things that are happening in the present because of Day's amnesia, which is more annoying than anything else. In other words, it's a mess. And I just...

*sigh*

As someone who usually likes toxic characters and trashy shows (messy ones included), I should eat this up like ice cream on the hottest day of the year. But, I don't.

There's something that doesn't click for me and I think it's because these characters are straight-up aggressive and mean (mostly Day). And there's not much to keep me entertained in terms of the story either. So, I guess I'll just have to focus on the visuals and side couples to get through this, then.

And there are visuals. Tuss, for example:

(He played Jack in Twins, and I loved him and his FWB Mike in that show. Then he played an asshole in Knock Knock, Boys!, which was a shame. But at least he was a pretty asshole...)

There's also Kokliang, who is such a cutie pie:

(He was in TharnType and Be Mine Superstar, if I remember correctly.)

And Hearth:

(He was in Twins as well, but I recently loved him in another messy show I enjoyed, which was Live in Love.)

And Non:

(He's been in, among other shows, GAP, Love Stage!!, and I saw him most recently in The Rebound.)

Interestingly, these four boys also play two of the side couples. Nill (Tuss) and Nik (Kokliang):

And Nan (Hearth) and Mac (Non):

So, I'm seated for these visuals and side couples, hoping they will get me through this mess.

Sure, Gear and Night are cute too.

But Nill and Nik...

And Nan and Mac...

Are the kind of crazy-ass couples that will keep me sane.

But, Nan and Mac are just as toxic as Day and Itt, you say.

Yes, they are. Different flavors, yet, still toxic.

So, how can you like Nan and Mac, you say?

Because I have double standards when it comes to the toxicity I like in my shows.

Nan and Mac are just bonkers. I mean, Nan puts a fucking chain on Mac (in public) and blackmails him to stick around due to an incriminating video that doesn't even exist. Just because Nan likes him... What a fucking trainwreck of a character. Which is exactly why I love him.

Day, on the other hand, is just violent and aggressive (both physically and verbally). And I can't stand that.

Also, even though I love Nan and Mac, I want them to be fucking miserable. But I also want them to be fucking miserable together. Misery loves company, you know.

So, I need Nan and Mac, and Nill and Nick on my screen to survive this show.

I mean, if I get to look at this man the whole show:

I'll be okay.

Because he...

Is...

FINE!

But this story is fucking trainwreck. I'm only on the 5th episode and it feels like it keeps going downhill with Day practically admitting that he's being an asshole just to see how long Itt will put up with him.

I'm not even halfway into this shitshow. Send help. Please!

Thank Goddess Nill is here to stop me from going feral on this show.

I think my patience with this show is matching Nik's patience with Day = on the verge of being non-existent.

Also, thank Goddess for moments like this:

Bale is the one getting me through this now that my boys (specifically Nill) aren't around.

I just finished the 9th episode, and I'm struggling BIG TIME. I haven't seen my side couples for what feels like forever. Bale hasn't shown up in the recent episodes either and I can't take it anymore. I'm so done with Day's aggression.

So, show, if you want me to keep watching you, you better bring my beloved sidecouples back! Especially Nill and Nik. I want that feisty little shit (very affectionately) to come back and give Day hell! And his boyfriend to hold him back (but, kind of not).

I need more of this:

And this:

Just give them to me!

I'm onto the 10th episode, reminding myself it's just this one + 2 more left. Then I'm finally free!

Oh, lord, P is such a flat, cartoonish villain who adds nothing to the story other than an opportunity to add more flashbacks to tell Day and Itt's backstory (which are just annoying to begin with). I...

*sigh*

Please give me something that makes me not want to stab myself in the eyes with a pen.

Look, I got Mac in a racing overall!

I feel like I can breathe a little easier again.

It feels like I haven't seen my boys Nill and Nik for several episodes, and I'm starving.

Bitch, I've been doing that the whole fucking show.

Nill is back! I repeat:

Nill is back!

Now I just need his boyfriend back on my screen too. Pronto!

Nill AND Nik are back on my screen!

And they delivered!

Everything...

I...

Wanted...

And more...

They almost made the pain of watching this whole 12-episode mess of a show worth it.

Seriously, if I could choose to get amnesia on that specific area of my brain where the memory of this show is stored, I would. As long as I could remember Nill and Nik, of course.

At the same time as I'm sad over how little I got of Nill and Nik in the show, I'm definitely not sad to let this go. You have no idea how happy I am to be done.

I wish so bad that I'll pull one of my favorite shows out of my bowl for the next rewatch. Please. Please! I can't take another one of my least favorites right now. I think I'll have a meltdown if I do, lmao!

*fingers and toes crossed for a much better show than this, which isn't that hard to beat*

[respectthepetty]

So. I’m watching “the theory of love” and I have two things to ask

1. Does anyone actually like Kai? He doesn’t seem to care about Threees feelings at all or about his actions.

2. EARTH IS ON THIS!!?!!???? I stupidly have been waiting for Mix to turn up but obviously this was Pre?

3. Gun never gets a rear does he. Poor guy has to cry in every show he does.

4. They’re in uniforms a lot so been finding the colouring boys difficult so far.

Is that too many questions?! 😂

Anon, I like how you pulled a me and instead of asking two questions, you asked four! So let me get to answering them.

But first, Khai and Third are IKEA Queers, so . . .

Does anyone actually like Kai? He doesn’t seem to care about Threees feelings at all or about his actions.

Me. I like Khai. We are IKEA Queers, so we have to stick together.

Feel free to judge me, but after episode six, watching him suffer was food for my petty soul. This is what I want from my pendejos. If they are going to fuck up as badly as Khai did (THE FAKE-DRUNK KISS!), then I want them to feel pain. A lot of it. All the time. No relief.

And Khai definitely felt it.

All the time.

The idiot would not take no for an answer (but that's a JittiRain special), yet Third gave him back all the pain he gave to him, and that's what I like to see - revenge. Even in the special, Third was still kind of a jerk to Khai, and was looking even better for it.

I would never believe they would make it beyond this show (even with the four year time skip), but JittiRain said they are still together and going strong in Vice Versa with "RELATIONSHIP" right above Third's head, so . . . good for them?

Gun never gets a rear does he. Poor guy has to cry in every show he does.

Earth, Fluke, First, and Gun. Those are the men you hire if you want them good ass tears.

Amen.

Earth and Fluke had Until We Meet Again while Gun and First had Not Me, and those are both top-tier shows for most people. Imagine all four in one show, just crying, destroying our hearts every week. However, I'm going to put this on the record right now though - - First can outcry them all. I believe this with every fiber of my being. A director would just have to say "Khaotung doesn't want to be your friend anymore" and GAME OVER!

EARTH IS ON THIS!!?!!???? I stupidly have been waiting for Mix to turn up but obviously this was Pre?

The wildest thing to me is Earth played Type in Love by Chance which means he was Type of TharnType before the role was recast. Can you image Phupha as Type?! I have never watched a MAME series, but this seems WILD to me.

And Earth was paired with New in Water Boyy, like New of TayNew.

And of course, we got that taste of him with Papang in Moonlight Chicken.

So I think it's strange that Earth has worked with Mix several times when the behind-the-scenes for A Tale of Thousand Stars seemed as if director Aof was ready to murder Earth because he was playing around between takes, while Mix was crying every two seconds from stress and anxiety (which caused him to pass out). Mostly when White was RIGHT THERE!

Please, GMMTV, keep mixing things up forever and ever. Amen.

They’re in uniforms a lot so been finding the colouring boys difficult so far.

I watched it when it aired and haven't rewatched it since, so I don't remember if there was color-coding, but from my saved pictures, it seems like I had a theory that Third was a Yellow/Orange Oddity

but I have no notes, and the other pictures aren't telling me a complete story, so I think I got upset watching it and stopped tracking the colors. I stay petty.

I'd have to go back and rewatch it to give you a proper answer BUT I won't do that if JittiRain screws me over for the sixth time with Be My Favorite. So I'll make a deal with you, Anon - If Be My Favorite doesn't give me lies, manipulation, and the normal JittiRain (JR) nonsense to the extent her other series have included, I'll go back and rewatch Theory of Love for potential color coding.

But if JR fucks over my baby boy Pisaeng, not even the IKEA Queers can save this color-coding mission.

Pray for us all.

[lyknest]

Thai BL Favorites List Tag Game

thank you for tagging me mel @justafriend-ql & @dragonsareawesome123 & @solana-ceae !!! i always love a chance to talk about thai (mostly gmmtv) bl skksksksksks

favourite bl:

surprise surprise 0 points for guessing its *drumroll* bad buddy!!!!!! of course it is i don't even have to talk about it more

favourite pairing:

TinnGun - they took me by surprise i love them so much its unreal!!!!!

most underrated actor:

listen! book kasidet is so freaking underrated! like after seeing him play gun in abaab, im a lifelong fan! and also SEA!!!! vice versa & 55:15 my beloved 💘

favourite character:

i will forever and always be biased to pran like no character will ever even come close to an extent that it's unfair to include him in this listing i feel because no one even stands a chance lmao

favourite side character:

tiwson!!!! and literally every mark pakin character skskskks

favourite scene:

it's like suddenly every show ever vanished from my mind but like every time tan acted a little cheekily with dr. bun, it was a good scene lmao ALSO this scene below y'all it was a moment (I'm so sad tul decided to leave full time acting 😓)

favourite line:

lives were changed when pran told off his mom and said:

most anticipated bl and why:

yeah no I don't think any explanation is required for this one

healthiest relationship in a bl:

WinTops from Ingredients the Series! nobody did it better than them!

most toxic relationship in a bl:

there are a LOT. i didn't like how any of the pairings in LITA came about. or the second season mess that is IPYTM. and there are some obvious ones like TharnType.

guilty pleasure series:

my guilty pleasure shows are those which i can play easily without having to open my laptop or mobile aka YouTube/Netflix so (Still) 2gether lmao

bonus! most underrated series:

there are a lot, but i feel like we don't talk about the campy masterpiece that was YYY! like I don't remember a single plot point of the show but it altered my brain chemistry forever. also lay talay my beloved

this was the most difficult list i have made in forever thank you for tagging me mel i had so much fun 😭

tagging: @dribs-and-drabbles @grapejuicegay @i-got-the-feels @casualavocados @mantrisanu @morkofday @jyuubin @bellepark and everyone whose gifs i used here (no pressure 💘)

[invisiblegarters]

BL/QL Ask Game: The Ugly, the Bad and the Worst

Thank you to @waitmyturtles for tag and @clara-maybe-ontheroad for the idea. This looks like a lot of fun - I'll do my best to answer all but my memory is kind of a sieve sometimes so I make no promises. Also I'm pretty easy on most shows in general so...

Worst soundtrack / weirdest song choice in a BL: All the Christmas instrumentals in Thai BLs. The last one I remember is Never Let Me Go, and I think it was Silent Night but don't quote me.

Most cringe-inducing line (cute): Oh gosh I can't remember the exact line but the one where Charn tells Tinn his wound will heal because he's the one taking care of it. He's such a loser (so so fond I love him)

Most cringe-inducing line (actually bad): Pass.

Most stupid decision made by a character: Fucking Kang bringing a gun to Sailom's house. Also branding him a pedophile. WTF, rich boy?

Worst plot line: Let's all forgive the manipulative gaslighting teacher because he has trauma too! Or let's not. How about let's not. Also the same with the murderous uncle from He's Coming to Me.

The most problematic show you've watched: TharnType, I guess?

A show people love but you find bad: Cutie Pie, maybe?

A show people find bad but you will defend: Cupid's Last Wish you leave it alone it's adorable. Also Enchante. Also Live Action Given hush I have great taste.

A show that is just objectively bad but you enjoyed it: Evan Sun. No trust me it's bad I had a good time but I sometimes think I'm way too easy

A bad show that you kept watching because you were intrigued/fascinated: Even Sun and Why R U. What even.

A bad show that you kept watching because you were horny: Love in the Air

A bad show that you kept watching because of that one character: Also Love in the Air. Sky.

A bad show that you would still recommend: Be Mine Super Star.

The character that ruined a show the most: Amp in Tonhon Chonlatee. Maybe it was when I watched it but I was so over her from minute one.

Most awful character that you hated: Sanada from Shigatsu no Tokyo wa...

Most awful character that you loved: Oh, Boston for sure. My horrible darling.

A character that wasn't awful but that you just don't like: Non - Cupid's Last Wish

A hero that should have been a villain: Both Tharn and Type from TharnType I guess?

A morally bad character you're into: Nawin from Laws of Attraction. Also Charn but idk if he can count since he doesn't end the show totally morally corrupt.

A morally bad character you're not into and you wish people would stop being into: I don't think I can answer this one. I mostly like reading people's thoughts even on characters I hate, even if I can't agree with them.

The show that disappointed you the most: Okay, really controversial but Bad Buddy. Everyone loves it and I wanted to as well but I didn't even manage to finish it.

The Worst Show of Them All Because of Your Own Reasons: Tonhon Chonlatee. Not even Khao could save that for me, sorry.

tagging @frostluvrs, @chawarin-panich, @reformedcharacter, @alan-apologist, @sandrayy

No pressure but I'd love to see your answers!

[absolutebl]

Hi! apologies if you've answered this before, but can you recommend some bls that deal with homophobia, be it internalised or external? or more generally, bls that are not set in the bl bubble where gayness is 100% accepted?

Thank you very much <3

Ooo, sure thing!

BL's Not Set in The Bubble

BLs that deal with homophobia (internal or external) and rough coming out sequences

Began Beginning from Myanmar is all about this. It's not a BL I would necessarily recommend but it is interesting for many reasons. Both leads are dealing with massive internalize homophobia, among other issues.

Similarly: Like in the Movies and Tie the Not from the Philippines.

And Goodbye Mother and Nation's Brother from Vietnam.

From Thailand

To Sir, With Love - witnessing his family's massive homophobia that results in major tragedy as a child is what drives our main character's whole personality and self hatred. Massive trigger warning.

Until We Meet Again - the pair in the past, of course, it's the driving trauma of the relationship reincarnated. Massive trigger warning.

I Feel You Linger In the Air - fear of being caught is a through line in this drama.

More modern set stuff:

City of Stars deals with having to leave the closet as a super star. So does Close Friend Season 2 a little. The OhmFluke pair also deals with coming out to parents. Love Stage!! (Thailands version) contains one couple that chooses to remain closeted for the good of a career and another that risks it.

Moonlight Chicken - mostly about self hatred and difficulty in being out, to the point where his young nephew challenges him on it and provides a foil.

Also, ya know, TharnType and Why R U. Both have self hated and challenging coming outs because of trauma and daddy issues.

Dark Blue Kiss - Kao is terrified of being outed and it's used to blackmail him.

Similarly although he is out of Ae, Pete is being abused and blackmailed because he is gay in Love By Chance. Also Ae doesn't manage to come out... yet.

I Told Sunset About You - of course.

My Gear and Your Gown final episodes contain homophobic (or are they?) parents.

Second Chance heavily implies that there is something going on with Paper's inability to accept Fah.

Similarly Gene accepting Sib in Lovely Writer.

I'm pretty sure there's a ton of homophobia at the back end of My Tee, but honestly it's been years sicne I watched that mess.

Charming little pulp 21 Day Theory deals with quite a bti of this, but our main character has a lovely gay uncle to guide the way.

"Punch the homophobe" my favorite trope of all time, happens in Oxygen. But otherwise they neatly circumvent the patriarchs objection by defacto adopting a child to inherit.

TonhonChonlatee is all about one characters inability to acept his own queerness as encouraged by his homophobic family and various other evil characters.

My Only 12% actively tackles and calls out cultural homophobia and damaging misrepresentations.

"Why does everyone think that both of them are strange? If it's not wrong, why does everyone hurt?"

The show he's talking about is Thailand's first proto-BL, love of Siam and it is about an inability to come out.

From Japan

Life: Love on the Line - it's parental disgust and personal self hatred and paranoia that breaks them up (they get back together but he as to get over it)

Similarly His - is a kind of reunion romance after self-homophobia drove one half of the pair to marry someone else.

Actually the original series with the same characters, His the series, also deals with self acceptance around gayness, and it's subtle (Japan) but it's pretty clear one of them was kicked out of/ or left his previous school because he got outed. (Light on Me references a similar situation, but it's ultra subtle.)

If It's With You also kinda falls into this category. Not sure these can be called "dealing with" it tho, more side stepping and alluding to it.

Tokyo in April is - yeah it's kinda the whole thing from one half of this pair

What Did You Eat Yesterday also has a coming out to the parents thread throughout, and a coming out at work thing, but it's not really the point of the show.

From Korea

Most Korean BL are gonna be out. The specialize in the bubble. Although a case could be made for Love For Love's Sake and Love Class. And, see comment, Jazz for Two.

One noted exception is Just Friends which is a short piece about coming out to mom while on leave from the military. This is one of Korea's earliest BL pieces and not strictly BL, but it's fascinating in that neither theme (military nor coming out) would reall be reused again.

From Taiwan

My Tooth Your Love - has a kinda different take and we aren't sure, as viewers whether it's because he's gay or because he's not doing what the Patriarch wishes. But trigger warning for [physical abuse.

DNA Says Love You deals with this and other forms of queerphobia during the later half. Slow start but I do love this show.

Faded is a propaganda piece (pro marriage equality) which is all about coming out to a parent.

In H4CTY Xing Si (of the side couple) is having a hard time coming out but that's complied by the fact that he's fucking his stepbrother, it's a mess, bit I enjoy them - v problematic couple tho.

Papa & Daddy actually has a coming out sequence (GASP!) where the parents don't take it well as does Love is Science? (sides) - but the later is mostly because disaster bi is also baby daddy.

Red Balloon, of course, and it's sibling movie Your Name Engraved Herein are kinda all about self loathing and suffering because of gayness and lack of acceptance.

Unknown is certainly tackling some of this.

In which I talk about some of my favorite coming out sequences:

He's Coming to Me has my favorite series of coming out sequences to both friends and mother.

A few more that I really don't like (Promise) and probably Together With Me should be here, but I willfully can't remember them.

(source)

[hermioneismyrealname]

Ok everyone.

Let's put some chronic internet buffoons in their place, shall we?

Let's first talk about the OG thai bl. Love sick. I was there. Let's talk about the one that got thai bl some traction. Love by chance. I was there. How about the one that put thai bl on the map, tharntype. I was there. Now KinnPorsche. The one that got global attraction from (mostly) everyone. Here still.

Before Asian bl, I was here for hannibal, supernatural and fucking merlin since day 1. Yuri on ice, been waiting for that movie for how many years now? And don't get me started on banana fish, given or all the bl manhwa, manhua and Manga. Call me fujoshi? Yeah aight but I'm here for the gl series (give me more) and the well written straight shit too.

The difference between the two kinds of media I present to you is deliberate fan service and fan acknowledgment.

If I were to categorize shows like merlin or Teen Wolf, I would put it as unfortunate writing. Supernatural and hannibal were not really a romance focused genre. Considering how early game these shows were, I wasn't surprised with the ending of all 4 of these series. Which is why good omens, heartstopper, young royals, and our flag means death is refreshing. These four bring a genre where LIFE is portrayed with romance being the center of it. They don't always give a happy ending. They have a realistic ending. I cannot always say the same for asian dramas.

In the early days of Asian bl, Thai especially, it focused on plot, actual plot, not hot guys who look great, but great actors. A good example is SOTUS and Until We Meet Again. A recent addition that I can add is Your Name Engraved Herein. It was also about getting society comfortable with LGBTQ+. Also, it tackled the ridiculous education system and challenged it. Up for some football anyone? This used to be a art form of portrayal and storytelling. Taiwanese drama has maintained a good story plot throughout most of it productions but it is a shame that it goes underrated most of the time.

Now, I observe the market for bl. I do blame KinnPorsche of this, but if I were to truly put a pin in it, I would stab it at tharntype. The thai entertainment industry is going to suffer. The primary reason for the inevitable doom is the unfortunate marketing ploy the actors have to do off-screen. Take tharntype, an unfortunately perfect example. While mame (previously) never re-used the actors in her universe, post tharntype, mew and gulf were expected to act again together. Why? The off-screen fan-service. Behind the scenes show actors being comfortable at their workplace. On stage in front of screaming, fans is just another act. If they did love each other, they wouldn't flaunt it as they did. Even now, there are wanjaai still thinking gulf is mew's affianced. It took mew to personally address the fans' ridiculous behavior and yet, here we are; bubbles mourning and the... I can't remember the ohmnannon fan base. I saw the panic when saint wouldnt be with perth again, and then when saint wouldn't be with zew. HAHAHAHA. Remember pretty recently when Freen's privacy was invaded and fans felt betrayed? pathetic.

Just thinking about it makes me laugh because even the japanese actors have their boundaries. Take Keita Machida for example. Not only did he get featured in Alice in Borderland, but he is also married. There was some backlash but not as much as Cha Seo Won from Unintentional Love Story and definitely not as much as any Thai BL actor. These are talented actors who are capable of so much. Take Fluke Natouch. He is a wonderful actor and is trying not limit himself to a ship/pairing/couple. Talk to me when you have seen Red Wine in the Dark Night. Imagine what the industry could truly be if markets wouldn't limit them.

If however, this is about the comfort of the actor, then FINE! But don't condemn them when they suddenly aren't paired up with each other again. For this, I put forward PremBoun (yes i just did that), NetJames and TutorYim. I will not mention FortPeat or BossNoeul because I can see all four of them going independent and succeeding whilst maintaining a brilliant friendship. Peat and Noeul especially. Cant wait for that to rock people's boat.

Need I remind these people that THEY ARE ACTORS! NOT DOLLS OR PUPPETS! Heck need I remind the public of the 227 scandal?

As fans, shouldn't we support the actor for acting? Not the ship for putting on smiles?

Now I sip my tea as I watch the ships. Actually, my eyes aren't on the ships; they are watching the idiots who can't take nuance and are chronically online. I watch them cry when their ships sink as me and my fellow veterans relax on our sundeck enjoying our teas, coffee and martinis with those tiny little umbrellas. Been through this all before and this whole manifesto was completely useless because nothing is going to change. Looking at the idiots in Macau for Bible's recent fanmeet.

*lifts my half empty teacup* Perhaps I am just @absolutebl but more chaotic and less diplomatic. Do I care about how many shippers this hurt? Considering some of their bullshit behavior, I'm gonna say how it is. I've been dealing with death threats since 2012 and the threats of chemical castration from my own government, I cant seem to fucking care. Cheers to chaos.

[formayhem]

I know I should do my own research and not just depend on others who have seen a piece of media to inform me of things. however, when I asked why TharnType was considered "bad", nowhere in any of the long opinions or reasons given by at least 5 individuals that I trust was the whole (TW) gang r*pe "twist" that I just HAPPENED TO READ ABOUT when I became worried about the age difference between Tar and Tharn and looked it up.

I almost just walked into the biggest NOPE for myself ever. 😭

jeeeeeesus Christ, friends (mine, not y'all), how is your BIGGEST ISSUE that "there's a few consent issues but mostly Type is toxic and Tar is annoying" when HELLO??????

no judgement or anything to anyone who enjoys/enjoyed this series. this is just my vent @ my friends on main. :')

the series has incredible blocking, so there is that :') :') :') but I will be blocking it from my memory 😮‍💨