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halliescomut · 10 days ago

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Random BL Musings for 3/17/25

So we had some big news over the weekend with the confirmation that Ohm and Leng would not be continuing as a pairing and their currently scheduled series with GMMTV were re-assigned to other pairs, specifically to Aou and Boom for Only Friends: Dream On, and Surf and Java for MU-TE-LUV: 9 Temples. I'm not particularly upset over them separating as a pair, I haven't watched Kidnap the series yet. I always kinda of think about it when I'm trolling GagaOoLala for stuff to watch, but I just haven't jumped in yet, so truly I can't speak much on how they are as a pairing. I know that Ohm is a very talented actor, having watched him in a handful of other things, and I'd guess that Leng is on a similar level. I've seen a lot of people not really surprised at the split given the pretty blatant disrespect to Leng and Ohm from people who were very committed to the OhmNanon pairing, and I tend to agree. Why would Leng want to be consistently putting himself in a place where he's not wanted? Because it's not just people talking shit online, but he has to attend these fanmeets and events and deal with people in real life either not caring that he's even in the room because they're there for Ohm only, or treating him like some sort of mistress that broke up a marriage. I'd be out too.

But to circle around to my actual point, or I suppose more accurately continue on along my ADHD thought process- the switch to AouBoom, which I have seen a lot of people excited about, and truly I'm kind of excited as well. They've been putting in the work for a while and I do think their work specifically in Perfect 10 Liners is good. I've not watched enough of their other work to comment there, but the fact that they have a lot of people who are basically screaming "finally" at the news that they will be in a main role instead of supporting I think says a lot to how good of a job they've been doing. (I've watched approximately 1/2 of Vice Versa, Enchante, Hidden Agenda, and We Are and haven't been able to finish any of them...maybe one day.) But I do think in P10L they really stood out amongst the main couples. Even given both pretty limited space in the story and portraying some pretty unlikeable characters, you do still kind of root for them. And that's something that I think will serve them well in the continuation of Only Friends, which is at it's core about very imperfect and often unlikeable characters.

I've also seen as part of this discussion some what I would argue are pretty fucked up reasons for this excitement. And what I'm seeing from some is certainly not universal within the BL community, from my perspective it does seem like the minority, but I also block with pretty wild abandon and curate my online spaces pretty strictly, so I know for sure that my perspective is pretty skewed. To the actual point though- one common thing I saw was "they deserve to be a main couple, their NC scenes in P10L are the only ones worth watching"- and man, do I have an issue with that type of statement.

I know that currently there is this seemingly unending discourse amongst the BL fandom about NC scenes with some people upset about the gratuitousness and frequency of them, while the other side complains that this is a form of entertainment for adults, and sex is a common and often important aspect of romantic relationships and we should be getting realistic portrayals of sex, and on it all goes. And no one is 100% correct or incorrect on either side.

To talk about P10L and AouBoom portraying Klao and Warit, they are very clearly and intentionally presented as a pretty toxic couple, and yes that can be fun to watch, but it is important to hold that context in the back of your mind. Do they seem to be getting better the further into the story we go, especially after the full establishment of Yotha and Gun's relationship? Yeah, but also pretty much every NC scene we saw between these guys was almost more like hate-sex than anything. And there's a very clear intention (in my opinion, all of this is my opinion) for their relationship to be counterpoint to the ones that grown between the main couples, specifically Yotha and Gun, but also Faifa and Wine (they're obviously not really present during the main run of Arm and Arc's romance). It feels like y'all are saying you don't see the NC scenes between the main couples as 'passionate' because they aren't rooted in anger...and like...yikes. Because I do think a sex scene needs to 'have a point', I do think like any other one on one scene between romantic leads, a sex scene builds our understandings of the characters. Their purpose is not just to arouse (bc yes some viewers find them hot and that's totally fine) or to fetishize, another common complaint about them, but to show another aspect of two people's relationship to each other. I'm going to default to explaining this using the couple that I feel the most familiar with in order to make my point, but I'm certain this is something that you could do with any number of couples within BL.

Using Prapai and Sky as an example you can look at the NC scenes we have for them. First is the one-night stand, second is the post-illness sex, third is the post-dinner/pre-party BJ in the condo bathroom, fourth is the conference room, and final is the oceanside bathtub scene.

To break those down individually, you see an active change in how they interact with each other as sexual partners. During the one-night stand Sky is majority in control, he's initiating transitions to next steps, i.e. removing clothes, asking about protection, and even him being on top are all indicators of this. He's also the one to directly initiate round two. Control matters most to Sky in that moment, he doesn't feel safe enough to give up control. Our second scene, he's begun to trust Prapai and while he does start on top...he doesn't finish (waggly eyebrows) up that way, he gives up a measure of control to Prapai. It's another indicator of his trust in Prapai slowly building. Scene three- the bathroom blowjob, specifically with Sky receiving. Part of Sky's story is him being a survivor of intimate partner violence and being used solely for the pleasure of Gun and others, with no concern to his own pleasure. Having him be on the receiving end of the oral sex is very specifically and directly Prapai being focused on pleasuring Sky without concern of "repayment" or his own pleasure (beyond the pleasure and satisfaction of performing this service for a partner he cares about). Scene 4- conference room. This scene is both another step in Sky showing and exercising his desire to be in control and Prapai both understanding and enjoying that, but it's also about playfulness. Yes, it's an incredibly hot and sexy scene, but it's also very playful, which indicates to us as the audience that Sky feels so comfortable with Prapai, incredibly secure in their relationship, and has continued to come out of his shell in the time between episode 13 and the special episode. Our last NC scene is the bathtub scene which fully locks in the canon that Sky and Prapai are switches (if you hadn't picked that up until then) and the fact that those moments where Prapai was letting Sky lead weren't just to help Sky feel more comfortable and secure, but were because he also very much enjoyed it. It shows how compatible they are as sexual partners (which does matter), and that they have developed this level of trust and knowledge about each other to where they don't really have questions. Prapai asks no questions beyond "Huh?"' and then immediately jumps in that tub.

Do you see how well considered NC-scenes help develop our understanding of characters and couples? Okay. Great, so all of this to say, you don't have to enjoy watching an NC scene. Sometimes I do and sometimes I'm kinda meh about it, because at their core they are like any other one on one scene between these characters. But they can and often do have a purpose within the overall story. They're also an important part of normalizing queer love in all aspects, and that's why softer or more romantic NC scenes matter within media, because queer love and queer sex is often pushed into this idea of being inappropriate or deviant. Even a kiss between same sex partners starts a discussion of "should this media be rated higher?", like PG-13, instead of the standard PG rating of pretty much any media that contains a pretty innocent kiss (no tongues or groping of bodies) between straight couples. And all of this is why different levels of NC scenes or references to sex within queer media matters, because you do need media that could be appropriate both in theming and in content for young people. Not just teens, but even pre-teens, because that is the age where many people are figuring out sexuality, and shows that are appropriate for their age group that show various sexualities and gender expressions are helpful for them in that journey. And it's not just about having queer people or queer relationships be the focus, but also having queer people existing within the world of the story.

And back to my yikes point, the idea that Klao and War's sex scenes were the best, or felt the most 'passionate' to some viewers when they were rooted in a pretty angry and toxic place, and especially when we see Klao and War be pretty violent with each other, I find myself concerned because this is something I've seen before. I've seen it in talks about TharnType and VegasPete and many other couples that are pretty inarguably toxic and unhealthy, especially in the beginning. And I'm concerned because I do fear it may be the toxic standards for masculinity. This idea of conquering being manly, of taking your pleasure being manly, that's getting into some pretty slippery territory, and it's not that I think that content doesn't have a place in fiction, but that it doesn't always feel like people see how it's bad. Even looking at my two examples- TharnType presented a lot if not all of this incredibly questionable behavior from both sides as being fine...it certainly was not fine. VegasPete does not present it in that way to the viewer, other characters, that's a conversation we could have, but as the viewer you are aware that what's happening between Vegas and Pete basically up until the post credits scene in the hospital is pretty fucked up. Even if the characters themselves are okay with it, we as the audience can see that this is not a healthy relationship in any way. But it's also fiction. we understand it's fiction and we understand that enjoying watching that toxicity does not mean we endorse the behaviors or think they would ever be appropriate IRL. But it makes me wonder if not everyone in the class understands, because again, a fair bit of the commentary I've seen doesn't seem to express that awareness. And truly sometimes it feels like a lot of y'all out there don't know how to enjoy a softer love story, which I think is very unfortunate.

My other general gripe from the weekend/past week has been again the weird discourse surrounding Perth and Santa. (Kinda funny that a lot of this ramble connects to P10L, not intentional, but it does make sense since that's one of the most popular currently airing series.) Because there's been quite a few people talking about Santa being infantalized by his company and them 'forcing' him to be cutesy. I worry for people. Most of the main proof of this has been people using pictures of him IN CHARACTER as a Gun- a character that's meant to be soft, silly, and cutesy, and in fact often acts cutesy with intention to keep people from asking too many questions. But also, seems to disregard context as reasonings for some of this. Do I think that during appearances Santa seems to be acting a lot more silly? Yeah, I do. You know what I think the biggest reason for that is? His age. Man is 21 years old, but in addition to that- he started out in series with Project 7 in 2021. He was 17 during filming, and was paired with a far more experienced actor (Cooheart). Have you never paid attention to any interview given by child actor about how adultified they are? How they have to behave just as mature, if not more mature, as the adult actors they are working with because otherwise they get shit talked, or run the risk of losing further opportunities because they don't have years of work that shows how professional they are? And continuing from that to My Only 12% and very particularly the fan events and appearances with Cooheart where there is a very distinct expectation for him to behave certain way in complement to Cooheart.

Now, moving on to this pairing with Perth, who is much closer in age, and also their characters having a very different dynamic, means that he doesn't have to stay in that almost tsundere persona. He's also been through the Fantasy Boys survival show, which was pretty emotionally draining on him, and so I think more of what we're seeing now is him really showing himself, less persona more actual Santa, both because he feels more comfortable, but also because he's more clearly figured out who he is. And i could honestly say the same about Perth too. I feel like his partnership with Santa and more of the connections he's made as a sort of senior within GMMTV has helped him be more relaxed. But a lot of this comes around to the basic point that people are faceted. They're not one dimensional, and their mood or behavior one day does not set in stone their behavior forever. Santa is just a guy, beauty and talent aside, and like any other 21 year old, some days he's gonna be feeling a little silly, and some days more serious, and that's life. He's also a performer. Part of what attracted him to both acting as well as music/performing is the ability to put on these different personas that reflect different aspects of himself.

(Slight authors note, just to ensure that something doesn't get taken out of context- I've never had an issue with Santa's paring with Cooheart. The scenes filmed for those series were very appropriate to his age, and I didn't see any inappropriate behavior happening during appearances together. I think the ppl who complained the loudest about it and specifically bashed Cooheart over it were simply homophobic assholes.)

I think that kind of might be all. Wrapping up, I'm excited about the BOC series about flight attendants. I suspect it's more than just a workplace comedy, but we shall see.

I've only watched one series in it's entirety recently that I haven't already talked about, and I don't even know that I could specifically say I recommend it, but Happy of the End was an almost entrancing watch. Like the show is good quality. The acting is very good. It's also chock full of trigger warnings, send me an ask if you want more specific details. It reminded me a little bit of how I felt watching Stay Still, if you watched that.

#ThaiBL #Thai BL series #OhmLeng #AouBoom #PrapaiSky #PerthSanta #Perfect 10 Liners #Only Friends: Dream on #Only Friends #Happy of the End #Stay Still #HallieSMeta #God this was a ramble. 2.6k words

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paint-music-with-me · 4 months ago

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(part two)

"Mu-Te-Luv" - an anthology series of seven different stories where someone has been affected by some kind of superstition or fate or magic. this is super cute - i'm not the biggest fan of anthology series but i may watch "love lock", "QUEEN OF QUEENS", "not your father" and "9 temples". i am glad that the variety is def bussin' and i think the genre for each story will be different (most likely be a cautionary tale, maybe)

"Cat for Cash" - a debt collecting cat lover inherits the ability to hear cats talk from a debtor and is roped into helping the debtor's son keep the cat cafe business thriving. BITCH! i'll always be sat for a firstkhao series but a CAT CAFE?? WITH A COMLICATED FAMILY STORYLINE??? also the parallel shots of khao and a cat oh my gods i'll be crying best believe! stfu im here - it reminds me of "meow the secret boy" or "a good day to be a dog" ...tbh there's no notes let's get this story going! im waiting!

"Girls Rule" - we follow a group of girls in the modeling/advertising industry (?) where feelings get way complicated and hearts are gonna get broken. sorry for that trashy synopsis but it's essentially "only friends" but make it GL which honestly? valid! someone in that company heard our prayers. again, i am sat like there's so much potential here to be very dynamic in the relationships and characters idk what else to say except let's GOOOOOOO

"Boys in Love" - another high school BL with an opposites attract story (a smarty pants and a rowdy boy), a simple courtship with the new kid, and two teachers falling in love. it's giving "heartstopper" and some "my school president" tbh and it genuinely looks fun - i think the location is the same as the one from "my love mix-up th" which is nice! the simplicity and innocence is charming and chill, so low stakes here methinks. also can we talk about PODD AND PAPANG!? OMG YES! I AM SAT THANK YOUUUU

"My Magic Prophecy" - a tarot reader must help protect his friend's older brother from death (people who wanna kill him???) but along the way they fall in love with each other. girl this summary is shit bc the story aint it im sorry i love jimmysea and i will always be sat for them but . . . this story needs to go back to the drawing board. i like the "doctor is more logical vs tarot reader is more clairvoyant" vibe but the doc being targeted for some reason . . . does not land. i could make a separate post abt it but there's some alternatives to be made outside of this specific idea if they really wanna keep the tarot reading. omg it reminds me of a bad version of "the raven cycle" oh my fucking gods

"A Dog and A Plane" - when a petty EMT owes an uppity flight attendant money after their luggages get switched, a scheme is cooked to find out if the flight attendant's boyfriend is cheating on him. But it gets complicated when the EMT realizes that he may be falling for the attendant. jfc i think my summaries are getting worse im sorry. ANYWAY IM SAT FOR THIS ONE - ngl i was eh but now rewatching the trailer, i think this'll be v fun. i think this is the first flight attendant BL since . . . "what the duck" (2018) right??? ohmygods i love that its still not in college but im intrigued about how they'll portray their professions bc tbh even if they did get together, their jobs are demanding and i hope they address it

"Me and Thee" - we follow a photographer way out of his depths when a soap opera obsessed mafia head asks for romantic advice from him to pursue a model. ok this is giving HEAVY "kinnporsche" vibes omg even down to the lighting and locations (BITCH I SCREAMED WHEN I SAW THE POOL!) i am hesitant to really sit on this one bc while it feels fun and kind of cute, i want more from the story if the backdrop is mafia/shady business bc the rich boy asking a non-rich guy for help feels reminiscent of college BL yk? idk i want stakes! action! drama! so i'll def keep an ear out for this one but im not gonna be holding my breath (p.s. i don't like the title kahw;afiwe)

"Wu" - an athlete down on his luck gets hired as an assistant to a fortune teller and soon finds out their meeting is not just a coincidence. somehow i am sat for this cuz 1) idk the specifics of the plot 2) it's the guys from that one non-bl but it's so bl show "high school frenemy" and 3) there might be some action and mystery. i like that the actors' chemistry and a basic idea of the story is enough to lure me in which is surprising considering its Nani and Sky's 2nd project together. also what is up with these themes of fate/magic/tarot/etc like bruh

"Memoir of Rati" - we follow Rati, a teacher and translator, as he recounts the days back in 1915 when he taught French to bureaucrats and fell in love with one of them at the house he was staying at. girl i am SAT! STFU! first, i love inngreat like "wandee goodday" was such a pleasant surprise of 2024 and 2nd, i'll always be sat for a thai historical drama thank youuuu and 3rd, that second love story?? aouboom are everything (despite not having seen them as an actual love team oops)

"Ticket to Heaven" - set in 1996, we follow a young altar boy struggling with his faith and his sexuality when he's tasked with caring for a new student at his school. AND IT'S BEING DIRECTED BY P'AOF?? GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME PLEASE! obvi i am sat for this! give me my religious trauma bl drama as if my own hasn't been enough - there's so much to work with here and the way the trailer was done felt so . . . open? like it's not just this open-closed book about faith and sexuality but a genuine exploration to understanding oneself like holy shit that concept of wanting to go to heaven bc you want to see your parents again?? uhm excuse me midnight mass, we've got another father pruitt on the rise aah! but yes i am down and ready for this so bad don't touch me

those are my half-baked thoughts/feelings for the gmmtv 2025 trailers - please come and talk to me about them bc im genuinely excited for some of them to come out (makes me wanna actually catch up on the ones that came out this year teehee)

GMMTV trailer thoughts (part one)

ok, i have time (not really) to talk about each GMMTV trailer for 2025 because apparently i haven't done this since . . . the 2022 line-up oh my gods - anyway, enjoy my half-formed thoughts/feelings

"Dare You to Death" - we follow two detectives (so opposites attract it seems) who are trying to capture a serial killer after this group of college students after one young girl is killed during a game of truth or dare. i like the concept, it's giving "manner of death". i hope that the layers are clean and well-paced, maintaining the tone because there's the love story btwn the detectives, then the mystery with the different, suspicious college students (unless the number shrinks by production time), but that just means there's much to work with

"Head to Head" - we follow Jinn and Jay (neighbors, classmates, rivals) in the fashion department in college and when their beef gets Jay injured (and seeing the future where Jinn dies??), they live together and realize their feelings for each other. personally, the beginning felt very "bad buddy" and then the seeing-into-the-future caught me off guard because why? (to be different, yes, but why?) the story isn't giving 12-episode run-time, but maybe it might surprise me like "be my favorite" did. for now, though it is def low priority watch

"Burnout Syndrome" - guided by the advice/warning (?) of a second male lead, a young man (possibly an escort going through burnout) meets Mr. K, a mysterious and possibly dangerous businessman. idk if i did that synopsis right but that's what it feels like. also i already got that trailer song in my playlist the moment i heard it omgg so good. so can we talk about how we got another offgun series AND it's a LOVE TRIANGLE with DEW AND IT'S BEING DIRECTED BY P'NUCHY?! i'm sat, i'm ready, i am in waiting. i really hope we lean into the symbolism/imagery of burning, fire, passion, kindle, embers, flames, ashes, pain, warmth, danger, etc. because there is so much to work here with this kind of dynamic! we must not waste it! (p.s. i hope we get that scene where dew is walking out and gun just watches him with tears in his eyes while off wraps his arms around him possessively, omg the toxic, the pain, the drama!) (p.p.s. also im a sucker for underwater kisses!)

"I Love (A Lot of) You" - we follow a young man who is tasked with getting a girl with multiple personalities to fall in love with him (all five of her personalities, specifically). the tone . . . is confusing for me? in the beginning it felt like a thriller/horror but then it gets all rom-com then gets all thriller again (i think its the music choice and lighting). im not fully on board with the story - i need more groundwork because there's nuance to be had since she does have a mental health condition, there is typically some trauma associated with it. there is usually a reason as to why each personality emerges, so i really do hope that if it's truly a love story, there is a sensitivity to the subject (tbh look a little bit at "moon knight" as an example).

"Whale Store xoxo" - we follow Wan, a young woman who suddenly finds herself an owner of her father's shop and struggling to make ends meet, until she meets Maewnam, a local handywoman, and they work together to make the shop thrive and fall in love along the way. listen, im a sucker for milklove and will always be ready for them. im glad there's a secondary w/w couple too (who seem to have a rocky relationship - im intrigued). it feels slice-of-life with wholesome dynamics and maybe the occasional pulling of heart strings like those comfort kdramas (i'm thinking of "hometown cha cha" or "crash course romance"). im sat and waiting patiently, ty

"ONLY FRIENDS: DREAM ON" - a second season of messy relationships now in a drama theater setting (fitting) with Boston making it his personal playground . . . again. BITCH! WHEN I SAW THIS, I SCREAMED! NOW THIS IS WHAT I CALL A FUNCTIONAL TRAILER! we are given the specific dynamics of each relationship and how they'll interact with each other and how MESSY IT WILL GET OH MY GODS YES! what a blueprint (it's giving degrassi circus trailer bitch)! also i love that mix came back like omg and being in a drama theater? fucking perfection! like now there's intentional layers, like the story has a chance to be tighter and focused yk? and the willingness to break branded pairs? oh i better fucking see it! BREAK THEM UP BITCH LET'S GO! i literally scoffed off the idea of a season two but here i am boo boo the clown sat and ready to get toxic all over again. (p.s. the audacity of giving another gawinjoss story when im still sat for "my golden blood" bitch where aRE THEY!?)

"That Summer" - after getting sent to work for his uncle for a summer, Lava stumbles upon a washed-up amnesiac prince whom he later falls in love with. there's also a mystery as to who is trying to harm the prince and if their relationship can survive outside of one summer on an island. ok...first off i'm happy for Winny and Satang, can't wait to see how it'll go! the story reminds me a lot of "overboard" which leads me to thinking that maybe this story is more set for a movie instead of a 12-episode series, even with the second love story? again it could lean into slice-of-life chill pace territory but the story alone does not butter my biscuit so it may be a low priority watch for now

"My Romance Scammer" - we follow two cousins who find themselves in marriages with scammers, but things get complicated when the scammers' feelings may be more genuine than previously planned. BITCH! i'm sat for this one - like the cousins having different views on love/marriage, the scammers trying not to fall in love with their targets, the cousins trying to get back at the scammers, the repercussions of this scam! gods i freaking love junior and mark like holy shit they are just *chef's kiss* the only thing i think im worried about is how everything is established to us and where we go from there since there's two relationships going long enough for there to be a marriage THEN the scam reveal THEN consequences THEN the re-falling in love yk? but im always ready for messy mess, let's goooo! (also like im filipino so two people in the same family getting married at the same time gave me goosebumps like GIRLL SUKOB)

"Melody of Secrets" - when he stumbles upon a crime scene with no recollection of who he was there for, a young journalist will go to great lengths to find the connection between him, the mysterious detective who claims to be his boyfriend, and a series of murder cases. first off, I WAS FUCKING RIGHT - THEY FINALLY GAVE FORCEBOOK A MYSTERY COP THILLER FUCK YESS (i didn't really post abt it but i spoke it into existence!) I AM FINALLY BEING FED IN 2025!! LIKE FORCE'S BLURRED FACE ON TOP OF BOOK AND THAT FINAL SCENE??? BITCH! 2nd, the story is intriguing but goddamnit there better be some groundwork for this mystery like im already not feeling for the amnesia (sorry) and is tankhun really a twin? ugh. i might make a separate post about it but some alternative ideas are connection btwn memory and music (hello, melody?); no amnesia but faded memories because they were separated and got reunited; family memories or legacy/ancestry??? regardless, i AM FUCKING SAT AND IMPATIENTLY WAITING!

"Love You Teacher" - when his boyfriend gets into an accident where his mind regresses to a seven-year-old, a kindergarten teacher (who happens to not like kids) tries to navigate this new landscape in his relationship. listen, i love santaperth and sammy, but . . . this story just does not . . . do it for me? i do believe there's a way to make it work but there needs to be an emphasis on nuance and recovery because . . . how do i put this lightly . . . there's so much that can go wrong. i'm not saying it's inherently bad, just that there should be sensitivity instead of just being another silly cutesy story. also it's giving movie than 12-episode series so idk . . . im not holding my breath for this one

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