#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)

[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?

[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.

[lutawolf]

TharnType Episode 3

Let me say that as a reader of the book. The shower scene was not done well enough. TharnType is the book, that made me realize that MAME got a NO KINK. What's a no kink? You haven't read my LITA reviews have you, but okay, I'll explain. This is not to be confused with a nonconsensual kink. A No Kink is found mostly in D/s relationships but is also found in a lot of relationships of SA survivors. I know you won't get that, and you don't need to, but know it's a protection method that some survivors brains have created. What does a person want from the No kink? They essentially either want the No to rile up their Dom or they really like to be talked into doing something they are saying no to. Example "No we can't do that here, we are in public" but they really want to do it here in public, they just want their Dom or partner to convince them of it. Again, this is not a nonconsensual kink. There's a massive difference between "No, fuck off." and "Nope. Convince me." and even "No. Make me." Anyway, in the book. The scene above is written as a no kink, and they really did try to imply that. Look how Type's lips are pursing.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the beginning. Type comes in and tells Tharn that he knows it was him who helped when he is sick. Tharn apologizes for meddling. "I won't leave you to rot. No matter how much we hate each other. I can't sit around and do that." "You make me feel like a total asshole." "You already are." See. An act of kindness is getting Type to come around. See how unreasonable he is being. They are adorable. Type acts like a child and Tharn loves it. When Type's anger does come about and is directed, Tharn is now unbothered. He returns the hate with playfulness. And this is when Type begins to truly start to fall because his ugliness is meet with unconditional.

Book Excerpt: No, I hate him. He's gay. He's the most hated species in the world. But in the end, the voice in my heart gradually weakened.

Tharn soothes Type to not have nightmares while he is sleeping and then mocks him in the morning. True Love.

Type and Techno have a violent relationship, but they both are good with it. To me, it has a bit of D/s brat friendship and Techno has no issues standing up to Type. Just like Techno telling him that he is both their friends now and basically to suck it. You can see the conflict with Type. He knows Tharn is a good guy, but he has a bias built on emotional pain. It's hard to logic and disconnect emotions when no one has helped you. See how Techno talks to Type. He can stand up to Type just fine, so their friendship relationship works for them.

Type brings food to Tharn, his favorite, and includes his favorite type of drink. He remembered from when they had been friends of sorts. Tharn is thrilled because this was basically a test to see where they really stood. Excerpt from the book: Therefore, today Tharn will ask him to help with the meal, knowing that… If he directly tells Type that he will definitely refuse it directly but if he does so through Ai’No, he may agree. Even if other people think it's just a small thing but because of Type, they hate him very much. There's no reason to bring food to him. Therefore, if he is willing to help him buy food, it may mean that… His dislike for him has decreased and the relationship between the two people has almost eased to the extent that they can be friends.

Type decides to not sleep. He knows that Tharn has been doing something, but he doesn't know what. Tharn comes in and pets Type's head, saying, "I must be crazy to think you're cute."

He lays a gentle kiss and then tells him that he hopes he doesn't have nightmares. But Type wasn't asleep, and he felt this, heard this, and knew somebody gave a shit despite everything he has dealt out. That's going to make it passed the bias. Regardless of what he feels about gays, this is an act of love that can't help but be heard. I can't explain what it's like to have a lifeline. When someone sees you at your ugliest and worst but isn't scared away. That's someone you can trust, and what's more attractive than that?

Book Excerpt: Since knowing what Tharn does to himself every night, Type can't sleep. Also, there is a man holding his face and wishing him a good dream and which straight man can sleep after that! Type thought gloomily, because now, when Tharn touched him every night… He even had desire.

He is back to trying to jerk off, but all he can think about is Tharn. Excerpts from the book: “Calm down, calm down, calm down!” In the end, Type can't restrain the instinct of the body. The whole body is shouting… I'm dying. I want his hands to help me! “Ah yes!” Finally, Type closed his eyes again and held himself in his hands. He tried to think about the sexy beauties in the videos. At first, the effect seems to be good, especially when thinking about the sweet voice of those beautiful women who are delicate and soft, but then he thought of Tharn saying “You're cute, Type.” Fuck me! Think about beauty, think about beauty, big breasted beauty. However, the more I tell myself, the more I think about the handsome face. Type sped up the speed of his jerking hands. The more he doesn't allow himself to think about it, the more the face floats around in front of his eyes. He came… Because of Tharn.

Tharn has learned to tease Type instead of getting mad. Which is driving Type both crazy and turned on. Which he can't handle. And a couple of things to know about Tharn. He has been upping thing as Type has pretends to sleep. He is fully aware of Type pretending to sleep and aware of the attraction between them building. He knows Type is feeling him. Because the normal Type would have kicked him.

Type attempts to run away by going to take a shower. Once done, he realizes that he doesn't have his boxers. Opens the door in his towel and Tharyn takes advantage of the situation. A lot of people have called this scene SA and honestly if you aren't paying attention and don't comprehend the internal conflict than I can kind of see the point. By this point, Tharn knows Type likes him, he knows he has a reason for hating gays, and that's what keeps him from accepting the mutual attraction, but he also knows that he's allowed to take things further when Type is "sleeping." Now, I will say that I probably would have thrown up and missed a whole hell of a lot in this scene if I hadn't read the book. Because of the book. I knew what I was looking for.

If you pay attention, you can see why this is considered No Kink, but you got to be looking for it. The show tried, but this is a hard thing to convey without showing us what's inside their head. Book excerpt: the less experienced person began to just pant, he tried to pull himself away but subconsciously instead kept pulling Tharn closer, he wanted him to continue, but the point is that he was not self-aware of it. The mouth cussed, but the whole body strength disappears in an instant, the heart couldn't wait to want more. But the dignity of having to admit it was broken. He felt that it was so good that Tharn didn’t want it to stop.

With the excerpt in mind. If you watch, you can really see how they tried to pull this off. Type acts reluctant yet looks Tharn in the eye, he tells Tharn to let him go but bites his lip when Tharn kisses his body more. Remember that one scene, that was clearly a no. We aren't seeing that here. He isn't fighting, and he isn't saying no. Instead, if you look, you can see Type gripping and kissing back. Rubbing his hands across Tharn's body. When Tharn finally goes to put his hand under Type's towel, he pauses on Type's leg. He's waiting for a reaction that will give him a yes or no on proceeding. Which at this point Type is completely lost to the passion.

Would this be acceptable in real life? Absolutely not, but I don't judge myself for my dreams or fantasies. Art is a healthy outlet for me to feel. For me, I can clearly see the no kink, so I'm going to sit back and enjoy the boy getting what he wants without acknowledging just yet what he isn't ready to acknowledge. Because it's not real, it's a fantasy. But I 100% get why it isn't for everyone, just don't fuck with my enjoyment.

Tharn gives Type the best blowjob of his life and when Type can think again, he is suddenly capable of pushing Tharn away. He throws his towel at Tharn and tells him he'll have to wash it. Then he runs, all the while yelling at himself to be hate him and be disgusted. Literally trying to talk himself into it, but when he can't, he goes and hides under his blanket.

Stupid Tharn can't just take his win, but has to taunt. Which ends up with him feeling Type's elbow to the gut. Suddenly he can fight, but couldn't in the shower? This wasn't like before, where he was locked in a flashback. Nope, this entire time, Type was aware. He could have hurt Tharn if he wanted, like he did once Tharn taunted him.

In all honesty. Tar upsets me more than anything. And I think MAME meant for him to, but few people bring him up. He is so locked in by his trauma that there is nothing for him. Remember how I talked about no lifeline and being locked in your head. Tar is in that place of trying to live but constantly being having fear. He's locked in his head. It's no way to live. But all these people who talk about the show don't talk about him! How are you speaking for SA survivors and not talking about Tar! Tar is taunted and haunted by his tormentor. Do you know what that is like, you are never safe, and you barely know what joy is because you are locked in constant reminder of what happened to you.

This boy is living in hell, and it's far worse to watch him suffer than the fucking shower scene everyone wants to talk about as being wrong. He hurts me, you guys. Tar is who you are right after it happens. Those first few years when you haven't figured out how to put the armor on, haven't gotten the will to live enough to hate. The only reason that boy is alive is for his brother. And that's so fucking sad and relatable, and nobody talks about him.

Everybody check out Kla. Trading to get pictures of Techno. Man, I really wish we would get their story. I get it. If people had problems with this, they'd really have problems with Kla and Techno's story, but there is something attractive about a bad boy that would burn the world for you.

Okay, this next part when Type gets touched. It actually makes me sick. Another part that is very realistic but nobody talks about. You guys, If you trigger me, and I'm able to push past that freeze. I'm going to react without thinking and barely remember what I did. I'm in fight or flight mode. I have done this exact same thing. Nobody touches me without permission. Nobody. I don't care how bad you want to give me a hug, back the fuck-up. If you aren't one of my kids, you can not touch me without me knowing you are coming. My kids, have learned from everyone else. My husband and besties, they don't come up behind me, and they never try to scare me. I really don't have that many issues because I'm Type and resting bitch face keeps most people more than arm length away.

I do not blame Type for what he did, and it pisses me off that he was made to be a victim again. Not that he'd really reached survivor status, but that's besides the point. He knows himself, and he tried to leave. He wasn't rude, he didn't say anything, was just going to extract himself from the situation. They reach out to touch him and Techno stops them. He knows that Type can not be touched, see Techno really knows Type well. Why don't we ever see conversations on this clear lack of consent. They aggressively ignored the signs that he didn't want to be touched, and there is nothing that makes what they did right. What they did to him was wrong. They tried to cancel him over something they started. By them crossing a boundary. MAME once again pointing out that anyone can be the guilty party, but often don't think about that. If it had been a male touching a female without permission, everyone would have seen that what happened wasn't okay. Why the double standards? Because he isn't a likable character, or because he is male? If that's why, maybe it's time to admit to yourself that you have some biases that need to be faced.

Well this was another long one. Hope you still enjoyed it as much as the other two. Thank you for taking the time to read it. 💜💜💜

[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.

[gothicbarbie]

MY TOP 15 BL’S OF 2020

WOW, 2020 was A YEAR. This was hard ranking these but I'll try my best...

1. Where Your Eyes Linger [Korean] - One of my all time favorite series, I think because I really felt the chemistry between the actors in this one. I love the whole bodyguard sort of trope as well and the writing in this was so well done imo. I loved the tension filled moments and build up between the two. I just wanted moreeeee.

2. I Told Sunset About You [Thai] - Season 2 was iffy but season 1 was AMAZING from start to finish. I felt like I watching a movie. The writing, the scenery, the build up for the main pair... it was all so well done.

3. Color Rush [Korean] - The storyline for this BL is just so fun, I really loved the entire premise of this world. The chemistry between the two was nice and Korea does such a good job of building up the connection between their pairings. I'm sad that season 2 dipped a bit in quality and that season 1 felt a tad unfinished, but I still really enjoyed it.

4. Why R U [Thai] - This was a well done BL that was fun, I enjoyed the chemistry between Saint and Zee and I didn't find the drama or the angst overwhelmingly frustating. Plus it had a nice side ship and I liked the love scenes too.

5. 2gether [Thai] - I know people love this one, and I really enjoyed it too. It's perfect for those with a sweet tooth. There are some really great affectionate/sweet moments betweeen the main pairing. It was also the first BL I ever watched (if you don't count waterboyyy way back in the day lol) so it has a soft spot in my heart. But I do think it was a tad too safe for me. I prefer my BL's to have angstier/hotter moments throughout. The ending kiss made up for things, but it was unreastic to not have a proper kiss beore that. JMO.

6. Manner of Death [Thai] - I saw a gif of maxtul from this on tumblr and it's what originally got me into BL's. It spiked my interest. I see those two as the grandfathers of BL because they have been in so many things together, and their connection is so strong. I enjoyed this one a lot because it was a more mature series, and had it's own vibe/feel to it that I really appreciated.

7. TharnType Season 2 [Thai] - Season 2 wasn't as strong as season 1 for me but it was still enjoyable. I was really into Mew/Gulf and their chemistry when I first started watching BL's because it felt so genuine to me, and T+T was one of the first shows to really push the boundaries with the intimacy. Solid season.

8. Your Name Engraved Herein [Taiwan] - This was such a beautiful movie, with a positive ending, and I really loved watching it. It was depressng at times, but overall I just think it was so well done.

9. Mr. Heart [Korean] - Recently rewatched this series and it was so good! So fun and enjoyable. Loved the storyline, it felt pretty unique. I enjoyed the connection between the main two. What brings it down for me a bit is some of the physical moments in the series, like when one of them would hit the other... not for me. But overall, I could look past some of things because I enjoyed the rest of it.

10. Cherry Magic [Japan] - Such a cute and fun series, and definitely one of the most memorable ones for Japan. I had a bit of an issue with the intimacy stuff (they really couldn't even peck on the lips once??? It felt too platonic to me at times) but that aside, it was well written and a great watch.

11. Boy’s Lockdown [Filo] - This is actually my favorite of all the "quarantine" related series we got after Covid. To me, it was cute and fun and we got to see the main two come together in a nice and organic way. It was a good mix of different content.

12. Gaya Sa Pelikula [Filo] - Some cheesey/annoying moments for me, mostly regarding the sister character, but the rest of the series was nicely done. It also sort of felt like a mini movie. It has a slightly different vibe for me from other Filo series. I enjoyed it a lot.

13. Wish You [Korea] - Not my ultimate favorite series from Korea but it was well done. Wish I had more to say about it haha. But it was good.

14. Hello Stranger [Filo] - Another quarantine related story, and for a "web series" where the characters never really met til the end, it was really enjoyable. It was a great depiction of what students were going through during covid and I liked the way they went from scene to scene and did different interactions.

15. Because of You [Taiwan] - Def. some low/cheesey moments in this one as well but it was the first Taiwan series that I saw, so I enjoyed how different it felt compared to the other countries. Taiwan definitely has it's own style too. I liked that there were three couples in this one, and I enjoyed all three storylines.

Honorary Mentions: I'm not going into details with any of these series, overall I found parts of them enjoyable, but there were things I didn't love overall. But still worth checking out.

Korea: Craving You

Japan:Life: Love on the Line, HIS

Filo: My Day, Gameboys, Quaranthings, Cheat the Series

Thai: Gen Y, Present Still Perfect, Ingredients, En of Love, My Engineer, Saifahzon, My Gear Your Gown

Also check out my lists from other years! https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705678223200174080/my-top-bls-of-2019-and-earlier https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705227666795741184/my-top-15-bl-series-of-2021 https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705139242020618240/my-top-20-bl-series-of-2022

[celestial-sapphicss]

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.

[aprilblossomgirl]

My Drama Universe 2022 Wrap-up

For someone who’s been fussy about being in a drama-slump this year (well, k-drama slump to be exact), this wrap-up list sure proved otherwise. Not as extensive as what others might have, perhaps, but these are what showed up to me this year that I willingly embraced consumed. Mostly BLs and Thai’s series, not all that I picked were airing this year, some aired year(s) back. Even for the ones airing this year, not all I watched live. So, it will probably cloud my perception of the show, somehow. However, I’m a firm believer of that not every show is for everyone (or, in this case, me), and that sometimes I had better experience of consuming certain shows when I watched it later after its airing period in my own pace.

A bit of story nobody asked. I’ve been watching Asian tv series / movies since the mid-end 90s. Started with mostly J-drama(s) and very occasionally C/Tw-drama(s), and then followed by an intense past decade of mostly K-drama(s). It was only at the beginning of this year that I’ve been exposed to Th-drama(s) and BLs (or QLs in general) and that was partly due to some major changes I had this year (moving back home to a time zone 12-hours ahead after 4-5 years being away in a foreign land + the series of reverse culture shock). Diving into these media has somehow given me a new kind of comfort I didn’t know I needed at the time. A comfort I know I will still be seeking for the next years to come. And since I’ve made this Tumblr page as my safe zone, why not include a yearly recaps/wrap-up list for my own documentation, also as an index to refer to if later I decide to make some Best-of-2022 kind of posts.

Anyway, I don’t do quantified rating here, I’m just giving some little hearts or highly subjective brief commentary shouts, if any. But if anyone would like to talk or share some thoughts about some of these shows with me, feel free to drop by the comment or my dm or ask box :)

Oh, and when I said little hearts, I mean these: 

🤍 (white) - the show owns my soul, period.

🖤 (black) - it’s my top-something-kind-of shows.

❤️ (red) - loved any aspect of the show: the stories / the tropes / the character(s) / pair(s) / the music / the aesthetics.

Ok, now, the list(s) will go under the cut. A little notes: I didn't separate them based on the genre (QL/non-QL) or the regions for my own convenience.

First, here’s the list of the shows I watched and finished this year, supposedly in a chronological order I picked them (but maybe some were off the timeline -- I didn’t really track them real time, unfortunately):

F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers (Thailand 2021-2022) -- I watched almost all adaptation of Hana Yori Dango, and I must say, the Thai version was better written in most parts. Also, Kavin-Kaning was cute here, almost a match to the Korean’s counterpart: So YiJeong - Chu GaEul <3

🤍 Kieta Hatsukoi (Japan 2021) -- my first love, ever, in BL. I adore this show so so much!

❤️ 2gether + Still 2gether (Thailand 2020) -- not gonna lie, these ones gave me comfort in an unexplainable way.

❤️ TharnType (Thailand 2019) + TharnType 2: 7 Years of Love (Thailand 2020) -- you can say anything about this show or everything about it, but to me, this gave me my #1 comfort character: Type Thiwat Phawattakun, and it hasn’t changed.

Together with Me (Thailand 2017) + Together with Me: The Next Chapter (Thailand 2018) -- the friendship in this show was one of my favorites. Also, this show introduced me to my ultimate favorite BL casting pair: MaxTul. But my most favorite part? Their hometown by the river in the Amphawa district.

My Husband in Law (Thailand 2020) -- what to say more: a drama, that I enjoyed but will not revisit.

❤️ Bad Buddy (Thailand 2021-2022) -- the 5th episode’s rooftop kiss arc my beloved, and need to say no more, a comfort show until today.

Cupid's Last Wish (Thailand 2022) -- my introduction to EarthMix; in a way I was glad I watched this first instead of ATOTS.

❤️ Star and Sky: Star in My Mind (Thailand 2022) -- another comfort show, my adorable Khabkluen & Daonuea; can’t wait to see them again in Our Skyy 2!

🖤 KinnPorsche (Thailand 2022) -- the show that ignites something in me which I cannot label. KimChay will forever hold a chokehold on me. A show that, in one way or another, I might never have a proper closure with. That said, the chaotic that is their casts ensemble had a very special place in my heart.

🤍 Manner of Death (Thailand 2020) -- my forever #1 (not so) BL! TanBunn remains one of my top BL couples.

🖤 HIStory3: Trapped (Taiwan 2019) -- Meng Shao Fei is everything I need in a lead character, and I need him to be with Tang Yi. Also, this show has one of the most adorable second couple.

❤️ To My Star (South Korea 2021) -- this show is strangely beautiful to me. Kang Seo Joon and Han Ji Woo were those unlikely pair that I need to see being together. 

Semantic Error (South Korea 2022) -- a beauty that is not for me specifically, but I enjoyed watching the growth of relationship between Chu Sang Woo and Jang Jae Young. 

❤️ A Tale of Thousand Stars (Thailand 2021) -- I LOVE everything about this heartwarming show with my whole heart. Tian is another comfort character to me. And the village kids! I just can’t stress enough how I really appreciate and love it that the show made the kids part of every step on Tian’s emotional growth all throughout. The slow burn romance, though, tested my patience to the peak, but in the end, it was all worth it. My very brief halfway thought here and final thought here. Can’t wait to see Moonlight Chicken for more of EarthMix. 

🖤 Not Me (Thailand 2021-2022) -- I don’t think any words would suffice to express my thoughts about this show, so I’ll just settle with: it’s fucking brilliant, enough said.

❤️ Old Fashion Cupcake (Japan 2022) -- this show very much feels like a hug and comforting in way that especially when you’re at the age range of TogawaNozue you will understand. The conversation and gradual growth of emotional intimacy between them was something I could relate and reflect to. 

Tonhon Chonlatee (Thailand 2020-2021) -- I’m a big fan of mutual pining, but not so a big fan of last minutes reveal. That said, this was a show with another favorite friendship squad. 

Blacklist (Thailand 2019) -- watched this during my The Eclipse era mainly because of First and Khaotung were in it. I liked the overall story and the theme it brought up, but more especially I loved the cast ensemble and their chemistry with one another.

🖤 55:15 Never Too Late (Thailand 2021-2022) -- this was my first time watching a Thai series with a kind of slice-of-life genre, and I love it, such a realistically beautiful takeaway about youth and regret. Another lovely casts ensemble with my favorite performances of Khaotung and View. 

❤️ Vice Versa (Thailand 2022) -- an absolute beauty nobody could convince me otherwise! The aesthetics (and clearly the budget) of both audio and visual were on a whole different level. I adore JimmySea’s chemistry (and so I will definitely tune in for Last Twilight). The only thing I missed was Talay’s job as a colorist. Would’ve loved to see it more incorporated during his time in the parallel universe.

🤍 The Eclipse (Thailand 2022) -- this show owns my soul. AkkAyan is my everything. I lose my mind here but would love to experience the getting lost for any one more time. As imperfect as it was, this will always be that special show for me. 

Big Dragon (Thailand 2022) -- a dynamic that’s not for me but I stayed until the end with no complaints regardless. If anything, the color-coded lighting and sets of this show were actually something I believe to mean something more.

Love in the Air (Thailand 2022) -- not gonna lie, I’m here mostly for the depiction of the architectural students’ life (which brought some nostalgia in me) instead of the romances; dropped a bit during the few last episodes of PayuRain and picked it up again once PrapaiSky started. I love Sky and he must be protected at all costs, yet I found Prapai to be that exact figure Sky needed. I was aware of the talks within the fandom about this one, and I stayed with my take.

❤️ Enchanté (Thailand 2022) -- this one comes as the nicest surprise for me this year. It might not have the best twist of the story of all time, but I did enjoy every turn and the eventual reveal. As a diehard fans of friend-to-lover trope, I had an instant massive crush on Akk Itsara (as well as a silent and slowly whinny ‘why why whhhyy’ toward Theo) only the heaven understands. The music elevates every emotion I felt. The aesthetics were specifically made for me. My highly subjective full thoughts here. 

Fish Upon the Sky (Thailand 2021) -- my introduction to PondPhuwin, and what a chemistry! This show prepared me mentally for the rollercoaster of pinched heart that is Never Let Me Go. 

Choco Milk Shake (South Korea 2022) -- adorable! A cuteness that’s not really for me, but cute, nonetheless. 

And then, this list is for the shows that I’m still watching or still ongoing, and most likely will finish:

The Warp Effect (Thailand 2022-2023) -- a chaos I’m looking for ever since Love Shuffle.

Never Let Me Go (Thailand 2022-2023) -- a new (hard) obsession detected. (a reminder that I need to make a specific tag for this as I did My School President)

My School President (Thailand 2022-2023) -- they’re cute, so cute, the cutest thing I’ve ever watched! I love these babies so so much!!! And the thematic music? My everything! -- I scream a lot about them here.

Between Us (Thailand 2022-2023) -- so far, I’m loving all the relationships in this show, but most especially the friendship trio Team, Pharm, Manow - they’re everything I wanted to see in a squad!

Remember Me (Thailand 2022-2023) -- I got a mixed feeling about this one, but Champ’s storyline hits too close to home it hurts as much.

Gaus Electronics (South Korea 2022) -- hilarious! I adore the consistency of thematic advert on each episode.

The Shipper (Thailand 2020) -- with this one, I am now convinced there are no roles that First and Ohm could not tackle. 

And here, for the ones I’ve started (mostly 1-2 or some more episodes in) but as of now the mood just never right enough to continue. Most likely will still be on my list next year, so I am temporarily reserved my commentaries.

3 Will Be Free (Thailand 2019) 

10 Years Ticket (Thailand 2022-2023)

609 Bedtime Story (Thailand 2022-2023)

Cruel City (South Korea 2013)

Dark Blue Kiss (Thailand 2019)

Extraordinary Attorney Woo (South Korea 2022)

First Love: Hatsukoi (Japan 2022)

Ghost Doctor (South Korea 2022)

Grid (South Korea 2022)

I Told Sunset About You (Thailand 2020)

Love Between Fairy and Devil (China 2022)

My Liberation Notes (South Korea 2022)

Taxi Driver (South Korea 2021)

The King's Affection (South Korea 2021)

Triage (Thailand 2022)

Lastly, the ones that I dropped (but who knows I’m gonna pick it up again later):

Cutie Pie (2022) - dropped at later episodes.

LITA (2022) - dropped PayuRain’s part at around episode 4 or 5; picked up again when PrapaiSky’s part started.

So, that’s it, that’s my wrap-up. I hope 2023 treats us better and allows us many many more good shows to devour! 

[waitmyturtles]

Turtles Catches Up With Old GMMTV: My Bromance and Yaoi Influences 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 cover My Bromance, a 2014 stepbrothers movie rooted in yaoi tropes and structures.]

Okie-dokie, my yaoi smokies! Earlier this week, I reviewed likely the most seminal film to have influenced the Thai television BL genre, 2007's Love of Siam. I took on one more pre-BL movie to round out the early Old GMMTV Challenge list in My Bromance (2014), and I did so for a few reasons.

First, a little time period context: before the launch of proto-Thai television BL in Love Sick (2014) -- an ensemble drama that did not center, but rather included, a queer romance in Phun x Noh -- Thai cinema was where queer relationships were mostly explored. In discussion with @bengiyo, Thai, pan-Asian, and international queer cinema was also where the majority of stereotypes about the presumed endings of queer relationships were mostly held, as I discussed at length in my Love of Siam review.

My Bromance aired in February 2014, and Love Sick aired in July 2014. I don't *think* the two properties spoke to each other by way of art or influence -- in part, simply because My Bromance is rooted in some STRONG Thai yaoi tropes that almost pre-determined the ending of the film (spoiler alert, I'll get into this later). (And I want to note and appreciate the differences in the term "yaoi" as interpreted in Japan vs. Thailand.) Love Sick, while utterly and fabulously chaotic, ended in happiness, with Phun and Noh confirming their relationship.

The second reason why I added My Bromance to this list is because history tells us that Thailand's past and present fascination with Japanese yaoi manga and anime, in part, primed wider Thai audiences for television dramas featuring queer love and relationships. As we know now, Thai filmmakers have made Thai television BL a genre of its own, complete with tropes and built-in assumptions about how the dramas are structured and how the stories are told. The most overt Thai yaoi-influenced drama on the OGMMTVC list is TharnType, and I wanted to add at least one pre-BL yaoi piece to get a sense for how yaoi would then play out on television (and I know there are PLENTY more very early television BLs that were touched by yaoi, but TharnType is the most influential one on the future of the BL genre).

The third reason for this addition is that the two leads of My Bromance -- Fluke Teerapat and Fluke Natouch -- both have long and notable careers in Thai television BL, with Fluke Natouch also having starred in a number of other pre-BL queer Thai films. Fluke Natouch, for me, reached legend-ish status by just existing in Until We Meet Again, which became a fast favorite of mine when I watched it for the OGMMTVC. But separately, I was particularly curious about seeing Fluke Teerapat in a pre-television Thai BL piece. As many of us know, likely his most famous role is that of Wad in SOTUS, GMMTV's first BL from 2016, in which Wad may or may not have been presumed to be paired with the older character, Prem. More importantly, since then, Fluke Teerapat has had a long career in Thai BL screenwriting, penning (with his partner, Tanachot Prapasri) two of the most notable non-GMMTV BLs of the past few years, My Ride and La Pluie. Both of these shows have reached a touch of cult status, and if they were both penned by a guy who's been around the BL way for a second, then -- I wondered if Fluke Teerapat's early acting career could give me insight in any lessons he learned about, maybe, what NOT to do in Thai BLs today.

Welp, I think My Bromance helps with those lessons, lol. @lurkingshan hipped me to the central trope that structures My Bromance -- the yaoi stepbrother trope in which, yes, oh yes, stepbrothers, ya know.

Maybe the first and most overall general assessment I can give of My Bromance is that it could perhaps get a little insane in its storyline by way of how it needed to be centralized around the taboo yaoi stepbrother trope in the first place. I've talked with @so-much-yet-to-learn and @absolutebl in the past about how in some shows rooted in yaoi, or at least a taboo trope or two -- how oftentimes, that show may include two or three or more taboo influences, since the show already decided to go to a different place than a socially acceptable moral or ethical center-norm.

I think I was watching that in My Bromance. Besides the stepbrothers realizing that they were attracted to each other, probably the most remarkable infrastructural inclusion of this movie was the utter cluelessness by Golf, the stepbrother played by Fluke Teerapat, that trying to continue a relationship in the face of everything against them might have been an effort not worth pursuing. That love of this sort might lead to more pain than pleasure.

Golf was a character set up as essentially abandoned by his father and stepmother for the sake of work, as both parents left Golf alone to travel for work constantly -- which left Golf alone in a house with Bank (Fluke Natouch) for lengthy periods of time that allowed them to find out their love for each other. Now, if you and your lover are alone for an inordinate amount of time, then yes -- you are going to think that in that environment, in that particular moment, your love can flourish. But when reality hit, and Golf and Bank were found out, and attempts were made to split them up, man, did Golf ever put the pressure on Bank to just... suck it up.

It was a tough framework to watch. Golf, through Fluke Teerapat's acting, was the living version of denial personified. He would NOT accept, immaturely, that Bank and himself could NOT be together. EVEN WHILE Golf and Bank were ultimately separated, physically and emotionally, Golf expected Bank's love to remain true. (I mean, imagine, this Bank is played by an 18-year-old Fluke Natouch. Bank was taking hit after hit!) And this is even after Golf returns from a years-long overseas stint.... with a girlfriend. Golf still scolds Bank for giving up on their love...

...to the point that they get into a physical altercation with deeply impactful results involving a car accident, surgeries, organ transplants, everything. Apologies for spoiling the ending, but it was so wild for me that I just need to process it for a second and consider its impact on television BLs.

I mentioned before that Bank was taking hit after hit. Before the car accident, his own mother seemed to begin to accept his sexual orientation (!!!) -- even trying to set Bank up with a new boyfriend. Thundering right back to another yaoi framework, Bank replies that while he might be gay, he doesn't need to love another man (what was this movie DOING to poor Bank?!). Then, later on, Bank even reluctantly agrees to try seeing a new guy himself at school. Bank himself wasn't necessarily an innocent blushing maiden -- at one point, he called Golf a coward for not being 100% committed to their love, which I think was an accurate call-out for what Golf was expecting Bank to accept by way of Golf's outward performance as a straight man. The poor kid was just trying to figure himself the hell out in the face of confusion and repeated abandonment.

Then the car accident happens, and Bank is gravely injured, to which Golf responds with a kidney (at least Golf showed up in one way!). And Golf disappears after that.

We learn, after Bank leaves the hospital, that Golf has died. (Here's where we get into the we've-come-to-expect-horrible-endings-for-queer-characters paradigm that I discussed in my Love of Siam review.) Man, Bank was taking a lot. He was under the impression at one point that Golf was going to get engaged. And then he learns that Golf, instead, was gone!

It was a lot -- a lot for a movie that clearly was not going to treat its queer characters well, inconsistently at best, and a lot for a movie that kept piling on the yaoi-ness of the genre it was playing in. These guys stood no chance of happiness, especially with Golf insisting that Bank still love him, despite everything Golf himself was doing in trying to live a straight life with a girlfriend/fiancée before he departs the film.

Now, with the benefit of watching this 2014 film with 2023 hindsight, I knew that Golf would "come back" in a My Bromance television series from 2020. But in 2014, at the end of the first movie -- I am sure audiences were just like, what.... was all that for. Bank had been through the ringer, for a relationship that was going to be difficult to maintain anyway, in a society that isn't easy on gay men in the first place in mid-2010s Thailand. (And the WONDERFUL @twig-tea filled me in on the context of the long wait to get to 2020's My Bromance sequel in the first place -- only for fans to be disappointed again in the quality of that series.)

When I think about this film in the context of 2019's TharnType, and even to a smaller extent, 2018's Love By Chance (both MAME pieces that feature yaoi overtones), it just seems that a common framework of early Thai yaoi BLs was that many of the dudes just didn't deserve empathy in their creation and longevity. That being queer AUTOMATICALLY meant that one was subject to pain. It's interesting for me to ponder this as this expectation was flirted with on television screens, as opposed to the movies. Again, while I discussed this previously in the context of how cinematically-driven queer and/or BL art plays out -- in regards to art that's structured specifically around yaoi frameworks, it seems like a rule that the dudes are supposed to take hit after hit, without the responsibility of the content checking in on the characters and offering them alternate trajectories of emotional discovery.

We didn't see that in TharnType -- TharnType featured a deeply complicated resolution that involved the intentional hurting of feelings over lengthy periods of time, and a redemption for an INCREDIBLY problematic character in Lhong. And TharnType was made not that long ago -- just four years ago from now.

I talked at length in my Love of Siam review about how brilliantly today's BL filmmakers have taken other expectations of Asian media, such as the concept of open-ended endings, to fascinating and artistically challenging results (to me, resulting in beautiful pieces). But when a piece is structured around yaoi rules and tropes, then it seems like many characters don't stand a chance at happiness. I know that's not a hard and fast rule, but it does create an expectation that something might happen.

I haven't seen My Ride and La Pluie yet, but at least with my dear drama clown friends, I followed the La Pluie journey through meta, and it looks about as opposite from My Bromance as anything -- a tight story about an emotional journey that featured a little magical realism and a lot of emotional development. I want to think that Fluke Teerapat saw the early work that he himself was getting involved in, and said to himself -- man, I know how I can make this MUCH, MUCH better, especially to represent queer happiness and queer love. I think he was beginning to address these conflicts in 2020's YYY, which features a wildly fabulous character in Porpla DEMANDING that the men of their life perform exactly to their yaoi standards. By the time Fluke Teerapat gets to My Ride and La Pluie -- it makes me think he had learned ENOUGH about what could go bad to make excellent standalone art.

Because of my respective fascination and appreciation for both Flukes, I'm glad I watched My Bromance, and separately, it does very much deserve a spot on the OGMMTVC syllabus to just show us what was out there on the eve of Love Sick's premiere. We hear so often that yaoi was an important influence to early Thai canon novel BLs and the television genre, so this sets up folks nicely to understand why shows later on like TharnType existed and were so popular. The expectation had been born and bred, and with TharnType's heat included, it drove the masses crazy. For my totally personal tastes, My Bromance wasn't my speed. But I do think and hope that it set up the two EXCELLENT Flukes for developing their standards around good, even GREAT, BLs in their writing and acting futures.

[Allllllllllright! My previously unscheduled detour into early Thai queer cinema is done for the moment, and I am back to the chronology of a few weeks ago, when I left off with Manner of Death watched and unreviewed. That review will drop early next week. My LOVING homage to my first P'Aof Noppharnach BL in my rewatch review of A Tale of Thousand Stars will drop after that. And then, my surprised take on Lovely Writer -- surprised because I did not expect, at all, to fall so much in love with it!

I'm getting through Nadao Bangkok's Last Twilight in Phuket and I Promised You The Moon at the moment, and soon on the horizon, I've got Not Me and 55:15 Never Too Late on deck -- 55:15 on the list because of its integrated BL storyline and commentary. And then a moment that *I* know I've been waiting for -- my long-awaited Bad Buddy and Our Skyy 2 rewatch. Oh, my heart. Can't wait.

The latest list is below -- I welcome your thoughts! (Tumblr's new web editor is jacking with this list below and not letting me strikethrough those shows that I've watched. For the most updated list, check this link right here.)

1) The Love of Siam (2007) (movie) (review here) 2) My Bromance (2014) (movie) 3) Love Sick and Love Sick 2 (2014 and 2015) (review here) 4) Gay OK Bangkok Season 1 (2016) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 5) Make It Right (2016) (review here) 6) SOTUS (2016-2017) (review here) 7) Gay OK Bangkok Season 2 (2017) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 8) Make It Right 2 (2017) (review here) 9) Together With Me (2017) (review here) 10) SOTUS S/Our Skyy x SOTUS (2017-2018) (review here) 11) Love By Chance (2018) (review here) 12) Kiss Me Again: PeteKao cuts (2018) (no review) 13) He’s Coming To Me (2019) (review here) 14) Dark Blue Kiss (2019) and Our Skyy x Kiss Me Again (2018) (review here) 15) TharnType (2019-2020) (review here) 16) Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey (OffGun BL cuts) (2016 and 2017) (no review) 17) Theory of Love (2019) (review here) 18) 3 Will Be Free (2019) (a non-BL and an important harbinger of things to come in 2019 and beyond re: Jojo Tichakorn pushing queer content in non-BLs) (review here) 19) Dew the Movie (2019) (review here) 20) Until We Meet Again (2019-2020) (review here) 21) 2gether (2020) and Still 2gether (2020) (review here) 22) I Told Sunset About You (2020) (review here) 23) YYY (2020, out of chronological order) (review here) 24) 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) (review coming) 25) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) (review here) 26) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For The Sake Of Rewatching Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (review coming) 27) Lovely Writer (2021) (review coming) 28) Last Twilight in Phuket (2021) (the mini-special before IPYTM) 29) I Promised You the Moon (2021) 30) Not Me (2021-2022) 31) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) (thesis here) 32) 55:15 Never Too Late (2021-2022) (not a BL, but a GMMTV drama that features a macro BL storyline about shipper culture and the BL industry) 33) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) and Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (2023) OGMMTVC Rewatch 34) 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)] 35) KinnPorsche (2022) (tag here) 36) KinnPorsche (2022) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For The Sake of Re-Analyzing the KP Cultural Zeitgeist 37) The Eclipse (2022) (tag here) 38) GAP (2022-2023) (Thailand’s first GL) 39) My School President (2022-2023) and Our Skyy 2 x My School President (2023) 40) Moonlight Chicken (2023) (tag here) 41) Bed Friend (2023) (tag here) (Cheewin’s latest show, depicting a queer joy journey among working adults) 42) Be My Favorite (2023) (tag here) (I’m including this for BMF’s sophisticated commentary on Krist’s career past as a BL icon) 43) Only Friends (2023)]