#my top 70 bls of all time

[absolutebl]

700 BLs! The top 10%!

Blue Boys just finished its run, which puts it in as #700 on my spreadsheet. You know what that means!!! Time for one of my epic long lists. Here they are:

My top 70 BLs!

The 9 BLs I've Rated 10/10

Color Rush

I Cannot Reach You

Light On Me

Our Dating Sim

Semantic Error

Seven Days

To My Star

Until We Meet Again

We Best Love (2 parts)

38 BLs I've Rated 9/10

A First Love Story

A Tale of Thousand Stars

Bad Buddy

Be Loved In House: I Do

Blueming

Cherry Blossoms After Winter

Cherry Magic (Thai remake)

Cherry Magic AKA 30-sai made Dotei Da to Mahotsukai ni Nareru rashii

He's Coming to Me

HIStory 2: Crossing the Line

I Feel You Linger in the Air

Jun and Jun

Kiseki: Dear to Me

La Pluie

Laws of Attraction

Long Time No See

Love For Love's Sake

Love is Science?

Love Tractor

Lovely Writer

Minato's Laundromat

My Beautiful Man

My Personal Weatherman

My Ride

My School President

Nobleman Ryu's Wedding

Not Me

Old Fashion Cupcake

Our Dining Table

Oxygen

Step By Step

Takara & Amagi

The Eighth Sense

The New Employee

The Sign

Unintentional Love Story

Unknown

Wish You: Your Melody in My Heart

(we at 47, if you're keeping track)

23 BLs I've Rated 8/10

(I have WAY more than 23 8/10s so I just chose the ones I think are under appreciated and deserve more attention)

A Breeze of Love

About Youth

After Sundown

Behind Cut

Blue Boys

Bon Appetit

Choco Milk Shake

Dark Blue Kiss

Destiny Seeker

DNA Says Love You

Given

HIStory 2: Right or Wrong

Just Friends?

Life: Love on the Line

Love Mate

Love Stage!! (Thai adaptation of Japanese original)

Make a Wish

My Day

My Tooth Your Love

Oh! Boarding House

Restart After Come Back Home

See You After Quarantine?

What Zabb Man!

This list updated July 2024. Anything that completed its run after that date will not be on this list. It'll have to wait until we hit 800.

If you don't see your favorite on this list it got an 8/10 but is on the popular end of the spectrum, or I didn't like it as much as you think I should. To each their own, after all. And there are a lot of BLs to choose from!

[kharmii]

(Summary: Geten walks in on Dabi doing flying practice. He pulls a prank that ends up backfiring.)

Dabi: Go...It feels good. With both legs 50 and 50.

It's complicated because you're trying to do it. If one leg is 70 then the other leg should be 30. (Describing the position of his legs relative to each other while balancing in the air)

Tsk...Anyone.

At first, you're just a shitty little bastard who keeps failing, right?

It would be a scumbag's job to rush for results from the beginning.

At least the height is. (Dabi was practicing flying but he fell and hurt his feet.)

Geten: Bad.... *snickers*

Oh... Hahaha.. You're surprising lol Honestly lol.. Seriously, Pfffttt...

Ahaha lol. Sorry, hehehe, I can fly with ease lol. -Like breathing.

I'm really happy to be able to fly. I feel really bad that I'm able to fly.

It can't be helped lol. At most lol. Good luck lol.

Dabi: BURN!!

Geten: You want to extend your flight time, right? I'll take you to the top!

Dabi: Wait, Ice Yarrow..

Geten: Are you scared? *chuckles with a small shitty smile*

Dabi: (deciding to prank the little bastard because he deserves it) I don't know...it's nice though.. Will Ice Bastard be able to fly even if the ice runs out? Of course, this is what will happen if you're holding me when I've just melted the ice, right?

Dabi: *taunting* Hey, no ice, no personality.

Geten: Let go!!! I'm burdened down when you're here!!!

Dabi: Right now, my stomach is sticking out of my mouth.

Geten: It's not out, so don't worry and go down by yourself! Fine, let go of me!!!

Dabi: What will I do if I let go?

Geten: I'm going to do it so hard...I'll do it!!

Dabi: I feel sorry for you because you were raised by gorillas, and they didn't teach you how to speak...

Geten: You!!! You must pay for your insult to Re-Destro with death!

Dabi: It's just an analogy. If I say you were raised by gorillas, then it means you are also a gorilla, Ice Bastard.

Geten: Don't get carried away!!!

Dabi: Just make a sound. 0 That's right. 100 in total, then you're being too lenient.

Dreams aren't something you should chase. Dreams are chasing me.

Dabi: I have to fall in love with you with all my might.

Geten: You're in the way, let go!!! Just blow away!!

Dabi: 120 . 120 is....It's Plus Chaos.

Geten: No, this guy!

(They start careening towards a chicken-headed guy who is unloading ice-packed fish and leaks out of a truck. Coworker tells him to take it to the freezer in the kitchen)

Chicken guy: What is that light?!

(Geten uses his Ice Ply to grab up all the ice so he can somewhat cushion their fall)

(Aerial view of the side of the villa where they inevitably crash for comedic effect)

Dabi: I could fly!

Geten: As if we didn't just fall!!!

Dabi: Good job. I'm a bundle of nerves right now.

Geten: Because you can't fly!!! Because I controlled it!!!

Skeptic: *pissed off* GOOD FUCKING LORD!!

Caption: Skeptic got mad at us.

(Later, relaxing in a hot spring)

Dabi: That's enough, right?

Geten: (Still a little cranky) Not yet! It's not settled yet, Blue Flame!

Dabi: After sweating, it's time to take a bath, my sweat glands are burning. It's getting really hot. Lower the temperature of the ice.

(Geten is a bit uncomfortable submerged in the heat of the water warming his normally cooler body)

Dabi: (Picture off the side is Dabi imagining them cuddling) It's so troublesome. Come. Give me a hug. Mother. (Oh no, I messed that up!)

Geten: MOTHER!!?

Art credit: yaoi, hrak (yaoi), My Hero Academia BL 3000+ bookmarks / （※注キャプション）荼ホ＋外荼外の今までに描いた漫画 - pixiv

[aquarines]

'yaoi traditionalist' girl how many times the show should explicitly tell y'all that lestat and louis are vers until it finally sticks. but you still put your blinders on and say it's OOC. season 1 ep6 hate sex? nah louis was just pissed :) literally all of the loumand dynamic? awww poor louis armand forced him to top for 70 years :(

this is not an asian bl drama! i hope they'll show lestat on all fours and louis behind him just to see your mental gymnastics.

"how many times do they have to tell you they're vers?!?!?1?1?1" they told us that explicitly 0 times but always kept their actual power dynamic at the forefront

also this ask is hilarious i'm sorry like you can prefer whatever you want, at the end of the day it's whatever gets you off, like do you need my permission to do that?

when they move the show back to the og timeslot and we get to see lestat destroying louis' cervix>>>>>>>>

[maerinhearts]

All The BL I Have Read

If you're not interested in BL, scroll away. If you are... well...

Welcome. Hello. My name is Mae. I read a lot of BL in my free time because it's incredibly entertaining and I have a lot of fun. None of my friends read BL and the only one I share this information with is my best friend. Because I have a touch of the 'tism, I have compiled a list of every single BL I have ever read and I would like to share it with you.

ETA: This posted very oddly, and I've tried to fix it several times to no avail. I'm sorry.

Please keep in mind that these are in no particular order.

Let's start with the finished works:

Insecret: 102 Chapters

Again: 60 Chapters

Aporia: 108 Chapters

Dear Door: 163 Chapters

BJ Alex: 96 Chapters

Mad Dog: 51 Chapters

No Love Zone: 70 Chapters

Checkmate: 103 Chapters

Love or Hate: 106 Chapters

The New Recruit: 45 Chapters

Hold Me Safe: 49 Chapters

Love So Pure: 113 Chapters

Fake Romance: 37 Chapters

The Unquenchable Mr. Kim: 65 Chapters

Vanilla Soda Sky: 49 Chapters

The Big Apple: 65 Chapters

Darling For Dessert: 72 Chapters

In My Closet: 116 Chapters

A Life Without You: 65 Chapters

The Words In Your Snare: 82 Chapters

Snake Bite: 30 Chapters

Fuck this story.

A Man of Virtue: 131 Chapters

How To Snag An Alpha (Omegaverse): 106 Chapters

My Way With You: 4 very long chapters

Do you like pain? Same. I sobbed while reading this.

Tell Me You Love Me: 15 Chapters

Don't Build My Hopes Up: 50 Chapters

Love Shuttle (Omegaverse): 98 Chapters

Cherry Blossoms After Winter: 151 Chapters

Easy To Read: 50 Chapters

Solar Eclipse: 86 Chapters

Love In Kitsch: 52 Chapters

Broken Boy: 75 Chapters

Seriously… do you like pain? Because same.

On or Off: 91 Chapters

Assorted Wildness: 65 Chapters

The Sweetest Man: 115 Chapters

Surge Towards You (Omegaverse): 61 Chapters

Sign: 115 Chapters

Do you like angst? Same.

Mayday Mayday Mayday!: 50 Chapters

Do you like red flags? Same.

Anti P.T.: 63 Chapters

Top to Bottom: 56 Chapters

Lucky Paradise: 90 Chapters

DO YOU REALLY LIKE BEING IN PAIN? DO YOU ENJOY SUFFERING? FUCKING SUFFER. THE ENTIRE TIME YOU READ THIS. SUFFER.

Secret Therapy: 39 Chapters

Blind Play: 80 Chapters

My Bias Is Showing?!: 48 Chapters

Lying In A Dream: 66 Chapters

Love Me, Doctor!: 55 Chapters

BL Motel: 155 Chapters

Turn Off The Camera: 99 Chapters

Viewfinder: 89 Chapters

Undercover Partners: 174 Chapters

Siren's Song: 72 Chapters

Lover Boy: 81 Chapters

I know you love pain by now…

Unromantic Romance (Omegaverse): 64 Chapters

The Ordinary Lifestyle of a Universal Guide: 63 Chapters

Shame Application: 60 Chapters

Red Candy: 92 Chapters

Paid: 55 Chapters

If you read this, be nice to my baby Heejae… He a lil dumb… for a good reason, too.

Love For Sale: 93 Chapters

Kiss Me Liar (Omegaverse): 32 Chapters

Fuck everything about this one.

Heat and Run (Omegaverse): 107 Chapters

Gold Gray (Omegaverse): 126 Chapters

At this point, all you know is pain. This one is fucking SAD.

One Roof, Two Strangers: 56 Chapters

Crash Into Me: 48 Chapters

So you really love pain…

This handles some very difficult topics, please tread carefully.

Love Percentage (Omegaverse): 69 Chapters

Melting Into You (Omegaverse): 60 Chapters

My Master, My Jooin (Omegaverse): 64 Chapters

Blood Link (Omega...verse...ish...?): 135 Chapters

Uhmmmmm….???????????? Top is a vampire??? Bottom is a female lycan???? Uhm? He bites the bottom???? And like??? What???

Okay... Now onto stuff that I am currently reading and is still releasing. There will be an asterisk (*) next to works that are currently on hiatus:

Painter of the Night

Low Tide in Twilight (Omegaverse)

Limited Run*

Speak of the Devil

The Pawn's Revenge*

The Pizza Delivery Man and the Gold Palace

Legs That Won't Walk*

I don’t know what’s happening.

Idk why I’m here anymore.

Jinx

Pearl Boy

TREAD. CAREFULLY. I cannot stress this enough.

Opposites Attract

Anemone Theater

The Ghost's Nocturne*

Tread carefully with this one too. The top is a literal demon from the underworld.

Vanilla Taste

Stranger Than Friends

Odd Love (Side stories ongoing)

The Dangerous Convenience Store (Side stories ongoing)

Semantic Error

Liveta*

Steel Under Silk

Love Jinx

Payback

Under The Green Light*

Stay With Me

Honey Trouble (Omegaverse)

Hold Me Tight (Side stories ongoing)

The Hunting Game

Yakuza In Love

I kinda dropped this one, but also kinda didn’t. I need to pick it back up.

It's Just A Dream... Right?!

Trapped In The Dark* (Considering dropping)

Miscreants and Mayhem

Punch Drunk Love

Missing Love: A Married Man

Prepare… to fucking cry your eyes out…This one is so fucking sad. I’ve never cried so much in my life. You can’t even enjoy the smut. Tread so carefully with this. It is not for the weak-hearted.

You Get Me Going

Kill The Lights (Side stories ongoing)

December (Omegaverse)

Love Is An Illusion (Omegaverse) (Side stories ongoing)

Bongchon Bride

XXX Buddy/Perfect Buddy

Hard-Boiled Love

Hard-core BDSM. Tread carefully.

Origin of the Species* (Omegaverse)

Heal, Heal, Heal!

My Suha (Side stories ongoing)

Work Love Balance (On or Off Sequel)

Shutline

Double Trap

Cold Blooded Beast

DROPPED:

No Reason

Even If You Don't Love Me/Love Me Not

And now for my list of must reads (my faves) in no particular order:

Love For Sale

Man of Virtue

Hold Me Tight

Love Or Hate

Missing Love (this one is incredibly hard to read, but so good)

On or Off

The Dangerous Convenience Store

The Pizza Delivery Man and the Gold Palace

The Pawn's Revenge

Sign

In My Closet

Aporia

I want to put Blind Play on that list so bad, but it's so fucked up it's not even funny. I loved it, but the top is a literal murderer. So please keep that in mind before reading.

And so there it is. A list of everything I have read so far. If you ever want to message me and talk about BL, I'm down. If you want the link to any of these, message me and I will send it.

[telomeke]

5 Songs Tag - QL Shows Edition

I was tagged by @recentadultburnout and am excited to play along; thanks for tagging me! 🥰

Before going further, I should clarify that @colourme-feral also tagged me on a different musical tag game, and I was just about to respond to that when this one came in. So am combining my responses for that one with this one as well; hope y'all don't mind! 😚💖

Credit to @troubled-mind for starting this off with their post linked here. 😍

Here are the rules:

When you get this, list 5 songs from the Asian QL shows that you actually listen to. 🎶They do not have to be custom-made for the series. 🎶Non-western tracks only. Let's support Asian music and languages! 🎶Feel free to tag anyone who may be interested in participating. 🎶Add #5qls tag to your post for others to find the new favourites!

But I'm going to bend the rules a bit because I can't stick with just five. Here are my choices (extra details for the top five, and the more unusual ones listed after):

1. 遠い国/Tooi kuni sung by Ueno Daiki (上野大樹) – the closing theme to Bokura no Shokutaku (Our Dining Table)

This gently lilting song perfectly captures the essence of the hesitant, winsome waltz between Yutaka and Minoru as they orbit ever-closer to each other around radiant little Tane-kun in this heartwarming gem of a series. I can't listen to it without the tears welling up, sentimental fool that I am. The laidback time-signature (a somewhat unusual choice) and hauntingly plaintive key changes really set this one apart. If you'd like a glimpse into the meaning of the lyrics, @isaksbestpillow has a post linked here that translates them into English – the lines are poetically indirect and yet still find some way to pluck at your heartstrings in new and unexpected ways, just like the show itself.

Although the tempo is different, I find this song reminds me so much of the theme to the 70s family series The Waltons, with its old-timey 3-4 (or is it 6-8?) vibes of nostalgia and home truths being shared over steaming bowls of homecooked goodness (also calling to mind Yutaka and Minoru's meaningful exchanges during their many simple but oh-so-delicious meals together).

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2. เพลงที่เพิ่งเขียนจบ (Our Song) sung by Nanon Korapat – PatPran's theme in Bad Buddy Series

Nanon isn't one I would call a gifted singer, but his schoolboy tenor and unembellished vocal delivery suit the simple message of this piece really well. It's an unassuming little love song that sweetly encapsulates Bad Buddy's Episode 11 storyline and the theme of living the truth of your love (and by extension that of your identity too) without any need for great flourishes or grandiosity to glamorize the picture; you and your truth are enough, no matter what you may think or what others may tell you. (More write-up linked here.) 💖

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3. พรุ่งนี้ (Tomorrow) sung by Ford Arun – the closing theme for Moonlight Chicken

A quiet, hope-filled ballad that softly reminds us (as Moonlight Chicken did) how life will always be fraught with struggle, disappointment, sadness, bereavement and mistakes – and despite it all, the dawning of each new day is also an opportunity to cast off the burdens placed on us yesterday and reshape the present and the future in any way that we wish. We are more than just the sum of our past missteps, and we can find our way to a life of fulfilment when we move forward beyond the shadows of our immediate despair. Ford's rendition, set against an end-of-year Christmas backdrop, tenderly nudges us with the message that whatever it is (within reason) that we seek – happiness, purpose, love – the promise of it is wrapped up in the days to come, and is always ours to take and make real.

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4. รักติดไซเรน (Love Siren) sung by Ice Paris and Pearwah Nichaphat – from My Ambulance

My Ambulance isn't strictly a QL but it has a BL side couple played by Billkin and PP Krit, so I'm counting this one in (also because it's a relentlessly feel-good and catchy confection, everything you want in a breezy pop song). Everyone's really pretty, and you can spot some familiar faces dancing back-up. I've watched this so many times I immediately recognized the filming location when it popped up in Our Skyy 2 x A Tale of Thousand Stars and Be My Favorite. (Don't understand the unnecessary toilet break at timestamp 3.27 though. 🤷‍♂️)

Almost forgot to add the multilingual version – if you've not seen this before, get ready to have your mind boggled at the different languages they sing in, and maybe watch out for your own to make an appearance: 👀😍

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5. ไหล่เธอ (You’ve Got Ma Back) sung by Fourth Nattawat, Ford Arun, Satang Kittiphop and Winny Thanawin – from My School President

A cheery teen anthem to togetherness and the support of friendships, very much like My School President itself. You can't help smiling and singing along because you know it's all about positivity and living worry-free when those around you care and protect you too.

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And for the also-rans – these are not in any way inferior (some are even arguably superior musically), but they're not up above simply because they don't have as heavy a rotation on my playlist (and I'm listing them here to spread awareness): 🤩

ไม่ยอม (Be Mine) from TharnType, the Kaownah version (very strong melodically, and this performance converted me into a fan of Kaownah who's excellent here; the song, singer and actor deserve to be associated with a better series).

รักคุณยิ่งกว่าใคร (I Love You More Than Anyone), from Cutie Pie 2 You, sung by NuNew Chawarin (hopelessly, somewhat ironically and unapologetically cheesy, this paean to the pageantry of Thai country music or luk thung is so joyful I can't help loving every jangly, bedazzled melisma; I love it as much as the Build Jakapan cover and the Got Jakrapun original – all so addictive, like too‑sweet candy).

คนที่เสียใจคงไม่ใช่เธอ (The One Who Will Be Sorry Is Probably Not You) – theme from Bad Romance The Series (amazingly this works either as the hard-driving original replete with wailing guitars and screamy rock-god vocals by Pete Pitipong, or the soft ballad cover by Tul Pakorn – both have a grip on my heart).

The theme to KinnPorsche by Slot Machine – this is like the theme to Bad Romance but with no brakes at all, racing to the cliff edge and you don't care; with soaring, almost operatic vocals and a relentlessly pounding rhythm that shifts unsettlingly offbeat midway, the Thai original (เพียงไว้ใจ/Just Trust) is already so many kinds of amazing, but the English version (appropriately titled Freefall) is surprisingly not only more than credible, it also screams primally with lyrics that embody the full-blooded, breathless, all-stakes-committed rush of KinnPorsche's action sequences and darker dramatic moments (when the series wasn't unfortunately tripping over its own shoelaces or galumphing about in a clown car).

นิทานพันดาว (Theme to A Tale of Thousand Stars) – but it's the Torfun version sung by Aye Sarunchana that's won me over. 💖

ฟัง (Listen) from My School President, sung by Lookwa Pijika, Fourth Nattawat, Ford Arun, Satang Kittiphop and Winny Thanawin – you can give this treatise on love so many readings, but my favorite is when it incarnates the love that Mrs. Ratchanee has for her little Gun of a son; the original by Sin Tosaporn Achawanuntakul (featuring โอม Cocktail) isn't half bad either, with the music video also dallying with LGBTQ+ themes, but Winny absolutely does a better job of the bridge in the MSP cover.

คิด(แต่ไม่)ถึง [Same Page?] by Tilly Birds – not too sure this counts as a song from the world of QL because it was only in the original, not-quite-canon Bad Buddy trailer but not in the series itself (except for the one line Pat sings on the terrace of his apartment during his Ep.12 drinking game with Pran); still I'm including it because it's an aural experience like no other, starting out hollow, off-kilter and dissonant before its various polyphonies interweave into a delightfully solid pop song.

Inwza by Panpan Yeeyee – once again, not sure this counts as a song from QL but the made-up word Inwza (not so much the song itself) was mentioned as part of Pat's chat ID in Bad Buddy Ep.1 (significance explained here); nonetheless looking up the word got me connected to this wistful little synth-heavy indie pop number that makes for a refreshingly quirky listen.

เพื่อนเล่น ไม่เล่นเพื่อน (Just Being Friendly) – the My School President version by Fourth Nattawat, Ford Arun and Satang Kittiphop is just as good as (and maybe even slightly better than?) the original by Tilly Birds featuring Milli, but this flawless mashup of the MSP version with NuNew's is also amazing and I rotate between all three. No favorites here; all so boppy and guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. 😍

เลี้ยงส่ง (Farewell Party) by So Cool – this is what Pran references during Bad Buddy's Ep.12 drinking game as the first song he learnt the chords to; totally old-school (dates from 2005) and makes me think of a pre-teen Pran struggling to learn guitar, practising the chords on a song that was already a Thai rock classic at the time.

Stand by หล่อ by New Country – this wasn't in any QL as far as I can tell but the MSP boys performed it in their Prom Night concert and Bas Asavapatr also confirmed having danced to it during one of the Be On Cloud games, so I'm including it because it's so infernally catchy, has roots in Thai luk thung, and the dance video is really SHINee-slick.

Tagging @pandasmagorica, @isaksbestpillow, @colourme-feral, @dudeyuri, @ranchthoughts...

...@chickenstrangers, @lurkingteapot, @airenyah, @dribs-and-drabbles and anyone else who wants to play along. Apologies if you've already been tagged!

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[allthefujoshiunite]

Can I ask your top 5 favorite moments from "Love for Sale"?

Thanks, Nora, because of you I found this manhwa, and it became one of my top fav BL ever.

Oh, have you read, "Dear Gene" by Azuma Kaya? It's also one of my favorite BL ever.... (Sorry if you already know it and don't really love them).

I can't put into words how happy it makes me that you liked Love for Sale... I don't think even Dal Hyeonji would feel this happy about someone liking their work SHFKUS but it's just SOO dear to me! Thank you for giving it a chance.

Obviously, there will be spoilers for Love for Sale below.

As for my top 5 moments.

The moment Namwoo finally realizes that he's the horndog in the relationship lol. From the moment they met, he's fixated on what he can provide for the money he's taking from Sieon, and since he's so rich and can literally buy anything he wants, there must be one thing and one thing only he wants from Namwoo: sex. Namwoo thinks Sieon must be a pervert for spending so much money on him (thus expecting a lot of sex in return) but it's actuallly him that constantly initiates sex. I kept waiting for the moment of realization!

The night Sieon went up to Namwoo's apartment to try his "toys". This is another favorite of mine because of how casual, funny and sexy at the same time. Still giggle whenever I remember Namwoo's middle finger action xD

Namwoo's realization that his sunbae was actually in love with him as well. I honestly didn't see this coming?! Probably because we never get to see his side of the story, and his "advances" could only be read as friendly invites. I should've been suspicious because I knew he picked up the nature of Namwoo and Sieon's relationship when they've first seen each other at the mall.

Namwoo and his sister Eunjung having a Love Declaration Olympics in the middle of a crowd. I mentioned in another answer that I love Eunjung for several reasons, and that scene is both so hilarious and emotional, I couldn't help but add it to the list. I love all of their interactions but this one probably takes the cake.

Sieon's blush. You know which chapter I'm talking about, right? xD I wouldn't believe you if you were to tell me that seeing a character blush after 70+ chapters would make me cry but here we are. This is top grade story-telling. Building everything up until such a "minor" point AND having a cathartic pay off, I can only bow down.

WHEW. Thank you for giving me another chance to gush about Love for Sale, because I feel self-conscious lol. I keep inserting the series whenever I get an ask or start blabbing unprovoked... Anyways. There were a lot more I liked about it, like our redhead with anger management issues looking back on his relationship with Sieon, or Namwoo's heartfelt convo with the female friend in his friend circle, OR Sieon reuniting with his mother. It's so hard to pick. But anyways, I'll stop here before I list anything and everything that transcribed in the series.

As for Dear Gene. I did read the parent manga, The Scene of My Rumspringa and liked it a lot! You can feel the weight and importance of the theme to the author, because only then you get a delicate story packed with emotions. Dear Gene was recommended to me as well, but I want to wait for the official English release because my Japanese is not at a level where I can comfortably read manga. I can get by with dictionaries and apps when the BL has your run of the mill story, I usually guess what's gonna happen from the very first chapter anyway. But BLs with deeper conversations and topics are hard to get through. I'll leave it to the translators and enjoy when I can. I'm looking forward to it!

[lockejhaven]

I posted 1,444 times in 2022

That's 1,359 more posts than 2021!

202 posts created (14%)

1,242 posts reblogged (86%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@lockejhaven

@365runesofwriting

@midnight-and-his-melodiverse

@queerlilchinchin

@enchanted-lightning-aes

I tagged 1,337 of my posts in 2022

Only 7% of my posts had no tags

#0 - 67 posts

#other writers - 184 posts

#answers - 115 posts

#others' writing - 98 posts

#locket rambles - 96 posts

#lockejhaven - 89 posts

#others writing - 84 posts

#resources - 84 posts

#inspo - 71 posts

#boop - 70 posts

Longest Tag: 69 characters

#feel free to confront me directly so i can fix what my brain has done

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

»»—————————-　𓆩❤︎𓆪　—————————-««

rage of the kindhearted is an astounding tragedy.

it commands a silence, a long-awaited recognition from those that mistake it for weakness.

it condemns such broken judgement, that swallows respect as if unconditional, and consumes patience as if infinite.

it pounces at throats laid bare, long past a futile snarl of warning, chest aching with inconsolable defeat.

and above all else, rage of the kindhearted is an imminent ending.

»»—————————-　𓆩❤︎𓆪　—————————-««

~ Of Fables & Feathers,

🕊️ Locke J. Haven

locket’s tags:  ╔═════════════════════╗

@365runesofwriting@enchanted-lightning-aes@thepixiediaries@midnight-and-his-melodiverse@perasperaadastrawriting@fearofahumanplanet@orphicpoieses@thepoetpromptsociety[ your tag could be here... ]

╚═════════════════════╝

35 notes - Posted August 29, 2022

#4

“I never stood a chance, did I?”

“That, my love, is the tragedy of it all. Once, you did.” Spirit crouches down beside Warlock, listening to their rasping breaths. Her empathy is empty. Her words drip with hollow meaning.  “When you stood by my side; when you understood the joy and worth of the world, you had as many chances as you could have wanted. Instead, you just had to follow your destiny.”

Warlock laughs. A brittle sound, dragging and clawing its way up their smoke-scorched throat. “There is no chance with people like you. People too caught up in their own definitions of right and wrong. While you kill those that may threaten the peace, I stand alone for the innocent.” They break off into a coughing fit before determination spurs them to continue, “That truth will follow you. It will settle at the bottom of your stomach, until one day, you will find yourself overcome with the burden of your actions.”

--

locket's tags:   @365runesofwriting  @enchanted-lightning-aes  @thepixiediaries  @midnight-and-his-melodiverse  @perasperaadastrawriting @fearofahumanplanet

44 notes - Posted September 17, 2022

#3

↪ 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝 + 𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚎𝚝 --- a notion template

»»—————————-　𓆩❤︎𓆪　—————————-««

Hello, my sprites!

I've been super busy lately with organizing my characters, and as I was working, I had the idea to make a notion template based on my own masterlist. The template includes a general masterlist page and a character sheet template. There are two versions available with different fonts for legibility vs. aesthetic.

Please reblog if you use this!

VERSION 01 Default

See the full post

67 notes - Posted October 19, 2022

#2

a writeblr masterlist

Hello hello! I've made a masterlist for aaaalll of tumblrs writers to apply to! All are welcome; simply fill out the form, and I'll add you!

Please make sure that... - the icon you link is 200px by 200px - your description is as short as possible - you have only linked one blog for the masterlist

the form // the masterlist

91 notes - Posted September 2, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

PSA

Tumblr is struggling right now.

I know a lot of veteran users are a bit nervous; that we'll lose the one 'typical internet hellsite' to the 'capitalist hell' that has taken over most other popular media sites.

But that is exactly why it is INCREDIBLY important to educate the new users, and not just, try to scare them off. Education is the biggest way to gain allies and keep the site as we like it.

The site with blogs based on creativity; on stories. On art and writing and music, and NOT advertisement and force-fed content lacking critical thinking.

It's going to take a lot of energy, I know. And it's a serious pain in the ass that this has happened during NANO, of all times. But if we want to keep our safe space, it's necessary.

So if you see a user follow you, and they have nothing to their blog, give them the benefit of the doubt. Tell them about how NOT to look like a bot, and direct them to some tumblr guides.

Educate users on why we like this site, and what we can do to keep the freedom we have. And why that freedom is a good thing.

Our strongest defense is education.

Please, please reblog this, along with any and all guides you find. Share resources on other platforms. Send them to your non-tumblr friends.

899 notes - Posted November 7, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[fadelbison]

You’d be surprised what other fans and detractors of ZNN are willing to dismiss on other SM platforms, simply because Fan Service is a marketing tactic that has been used to portray a false narrative of intimate relationships between branded pairs in the past. However I think there has been a shift in the way CPs approach fan service and their public relationships (both professional and personal) over the past few years.

I don’t think ZNN are unique or special, or how you got that I thought they were, based on my previous message. All I was doing was pointing out some instances where ZNN have put a version of their relationship on public display, presenting it in the way they choose to portray it, which is leaning heavily into romance and intimacy. They have been pretty consistent with this for 2-3 years now, so whether this is genuine romance, or them or just played for effect for the fans, there does seem to be a connection and a joy that they are happy to play into. This doesn’t mean the relationship (professional or otherwise) won’t come to an end though - time will tell on that.

ZNN are only as unique as every other CP pairing. Every CP needs to know what their public brand will be, regardless of what their personal relationship is. If this was a conversation about general CP relationships, I could have discussed how FK have spoken publicly about agreeing to share their earnings with each other 70/30 for any solo work they do while a branded pair. I could talk about how EM live within the same suburb of Bangkok, and share cat ownership and wardrobes between their two houses. I could talk about DaouOffroad opening up an Artist Management company together, or how BKPP have their own management companies for music copyright, but share staff between their respective companies.

At the end of the day, all we know is what these people choose to share. ZNN aren’t any more or less special for how they are managing their public personas, even if at times it feels we as fans are witnessing something that feels special. Like you said, the same can be true for EM, FK, FB, and countless other branded pairs. They are all human, they all have personal relationships with their colleagues of one for or another, and they all deserve to have someone who has their back. Whether this is as platonic soulmates, romantic partners, business partners or just colleagues who know what you are going through because they are going though it with you, that is between those within the partnership to decide to share or not. Our job as fans is to accept and respect their relationships as they are presented, and move on when it ends.

you’d be surprised how the profession of acting was once thought to be equivalent to prostitution akajdfhfhsjakak sincerely I have been shipping RPF for a good 15 years - I said what I said about fanservice

I told my other anon that I loved ZNN and thought they were special and have a strong professional and personal relationship and you felt the need to add on top of that that they transcend ‘simple’ fanservice.

But fanservice especially in the way that it occurs in Thai BL is not simple and I have a lot of respect for it. I respect fanservice because it is a marketing tactic that is geared towards entertainers simply pleasing their fans outside of their art and I think it’s a really nice thing they do for us.

I care as much about the detractors of fanservice as I do about anyone else who hates the things I love (ie not at all) and I’m trying to encourage people to do the same and protect their peace.

If you’re wondering why I didn’t have a good reaction to your previous message then you should know that people will react poorly to you coming on their turf and telling them their opinions suck lol

I only published this so people can know you aren’t a weird ZNN is a uber special unicorn who love each other more than anyone has loved anyone ever delulu fan because I take responsibility in having painted that picture of you but I am not enjoying receiving these asks regardless.

[feuqueerfire]

I posted 1,328 times in 2022

That's 1,328 more posts than 2021!

131 posts created (10%)

1,197 posts reblogged (90%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

gunsatthaphan

rythyme

seekingidlewild

coldties

heretherebedork

I tagged 1,325 of my posts in 2022

#kinnporsche - 242 posts

#the eclipse - 210 posts

#not me - 132 posts

#scene - 105 posts

#love in the air - 103 posts

#vegaspete - 87 posts

#bad buddy - 78 posts

#analysis - 70 posts

#ep by ep commentary - 69 posts

#characterization and dynamics - 64 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#are these the youtube subs? iqiyi had 'rain belongs to p’payu now' which is the same thing bc rain is the first person pronoun and p'payu is

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Semantic Error Interviews

I wasn't gonna watch Jaechan and Seoham's interviews because Seoham's literally in the military already and I can't afford to get invested in someone who's not even here. However... they're endearing in the few I'd seen or interview translations I'd read, so I gave in lol

Watched:

some random compilations

How Close Are You Two to Each Other? 스포츠경향: They answered questions about each other and the show

서함X재찬의 동계 MT현장: They play games and answer quizzes. It's fun

To Watch:

WATCHA Game Item Hidden in Box

Maybe some of the Making Of and Behind videos of the show

Watcha Party Live 1 (+ more in that channel)

Edits:

women of semantic error (cr: 4pawats on Twitter): please if there's a season 2, I need them to meet (and date)

a yuna edit (cd: thornfah on twitter): she's just soooo cool

53 notes - Posted March 15, 2022

#4

i have so many thoughts about post-canon patpran and one of them is do the high school friends ever find out about the two of them and how do they react?

another high school reunion 10 years later, i'm assuming they're married by now and their parents have had to come around: do they arrive together with rings on their fingers? shocking their friends from the get go?

or do they arrive separately like last time, their friends joking about the enemy arriving? maybe the two of them share smiles, so pat’s old friends are like glad you’ve grown up and put it behind you. maybe now that they’re all mid-30s they talk about spouses and pat’s ring begs questions but he waves them off with “it’s a ~secret~” only to have his friends be flabbergasted when halfway through the night pran and pat are found laughing together, wearing matching rings?

80 notes - Posted February 16, 2022

#3

life these days really is just me trying to read or watch something new and then choosing to read bad buddy fic or rewatch a bad buddy clip instead

103 notes - Posted February 27, 2022

#2

I only know Porsche from these episode 1 Tumblr gifsets but if anything happened to this slutty, charming dude I would kill everybody in this room and then myself

131 notes - Posted April 2, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

The Cafe For All/Cafe of Diversity

When I think of pride flags and displays of (diverse) queerness in BLs, I think of Not Me and tangentially Badhaai Do because of their giant pride flag scenes which included protests, joy/euphoria, fighting for rights, celebration, and were just momentous occasions. I loved those scenes.

What I love about The Cafe for All is how it's not as euphoric nor rare, I love the cafe with its casual display of queerness and community, just a space for queer people to safely exist and be themselves. You can spend time with your friends there, you can invite people into your little world there, you can divulge your struggles to your mom there and you can spy on your friends/frenemies there. You can be assured that you are not alone there.

146 notes - Posted September 2, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[olderthannetfic]

@marzipanandminutiae mentioned at least one canon that totally was catnip for fanworks fandom.

Wynonna Earp's big ship starts with Waverly getting beer all over herself and getting caught in her shirt. Deputy Hotass Haught helps her with it and Waverly is all "Ahaha. This would be super awkward if you were a man..." as Nicole oggles her.

I absolutely shipped it. I just didn't get back into the show after first season and so never talked about it much on here. I made a pimp vid of all the different things I shipped on that show after S1 to try to get other fans into it, but that was about the extent of my participation. Dolls was my favorite though, so that soured the show for me later.

I'm not usually into canon pairings, which is tricky because a lot of the really good stuff for female characters is canon f/f ships, often ones with a very different vibe from the m/m that gets big in fandom and that I tend to prefer.

What I appreciated about the setup at the beginning of Wynonna Earp is that one of them was all "I'm straight! OH NO!" in a more comedic than self-hating way. (Catnip!) The other one leered at her and gave off horny vibes. (Catnip!) Both actresses were super hot to me, which is just about never true on TV. And it's an urban fantasy trash show full of stupid monster of the week shit and other things I like, not a prestige drama that I'll never care about fanfic of because the canon writing is what I'm drawn to.

Would I have written f/f fic for it if I'd stuck around? Hard to say. My output is pretty minimal at the best of times. I might have been satisfied with canon. I'd probably have read some fic and made a couple more vids.

(At 6k+, that ship is in the top 250 or so on AO3 if you go by tag search. It's just not top for new works in 2023. Only half of them are otp:true, but that's still more fic for this ship than most fandoms have total.)

My big exception to not liking canon ships is that I like a fair amount of BL, indie "m/m romance", etc. I've pondered why that is, and I think it's a number of specific vibe things that I find regularly there. There's a disconnect where this stuff isn't literal representation by and for the same group. Even when the author is possibly a cis man, there's still that assumed audience. In the ones I like, the ships often have a fucked up element even if the ending is happy. Some of them are goofy comedy and it's comedy that works for me, which is always so subjective. I recently finally got around to Scum Villain, and I loved the meta shit and humor, but it was really LBH being such an obsessed little creep that sold me on it. Clueless senior + stalkertastic junior is my catnip.

When I've tried indie f/f fiction, it has often been extremely serious, featured rather blandly wholesome ships, and put lesbian identity front and center. But checking or not checking those tickyboxes isn't the issue: it's a vibe thing. I was looking forward to Gideon the Ninth since it sounded a lot more interesting and messy, but I ended up getting distracted before it came out. (This happens often. I still haven't seen KinnPorsche on the m/m side of things. If I find out about it too long before release, I often never end up getting the canon.)

The most recent queer female character I can remember making me go "Ooh!" is the protagonist of Knife+Heart. She's a violent creep and a total mess, and the movie is a bloody art film horror nobody saw outside of film festivals. It's about a lesbian director of m/m porno movies in the 70s trying to track down a serial killer who is preying on her actors. There is constant meta in her increasingly artsy porn films and in the narrative overall. There are 57 layers of identity bullshit going on at all times, but none of them are just about orientation qua orientation. They're about the closet and violence and parents and fans and voyeurs and projection. I don't know if I'm really rooting for Anne to get back with her ex. She's so terrible and the ex deserves better. But it's apparently possible to write a lesbian character I am all over... if you're a dude who makes gay art films.

--

Of course, just asking for f/f that is exactly like the m/m I enjoy is silly. I'm always going to have slightly different standards for what bugs me in a sex scene or what hits to close to home and all of that.

What I want is f/f that makes me feel like the m/m I enjoy does.

And I've virtually never found that. I've found canon m/m and f/f Western live action media that I like and that give me similar feelings, and I'll vid those ships but not usually write them. I have not found female buddy or enemy relationships with the subtext I like that would inspire me to write fic. Well... Xena. If it were on now and I were watching it for the first time now, Xena would probably inspire me like this.

--

This started with people finding an older post where I spent months hand-compiling shipping stats for FFN and Wattpad to show how het they are and coming away with the idea that m/m is the problem.

And I'm not saying it was TERFy because it was a stupid response. I'm saying it was radfemmy in that I got reblogs from open radfems who had worse shit to say than "fandom hates women" within one or two reblogs down that chain. There's a certain "It is the duty of all queer women to support the movement by ___" vibe that pops up constantly on posts like these. Whether you agree that the subtext is there, it attracts accounts with blatant radfem stuff in their headers and then a wave of nonsense hits my inbox. That's just the practical reality.

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/746553097204203521/the-fandom-hates-women-response-to-lack-of-ff

The "fandom hates women" part of it comes from the fact that fandom as an entity just doesn't watch the kind of media that draws femslash, even if it ticks all of the boxes of things those very same people say they like. There are so many times I've watched a show that I've seen mega-popular Tumblr posts wishing existed, and then the fandom is so, so small comparatively and often in general. There have been superheroes, vampire/supernatural shows, fantasy shows, movies, books, the list goes on, that feel like they were generated out of Tumblr's desires for ideal fandom media, and everyone knows they're never going to attract anywhere near the same attention for fandom and fanworks because the common denominator just tends to be that if there isn't a full ensemble of attractive men to ship either with each other or with the women, fandom's not interested.

So it's not about prioritizing women in that sense, it's about people witnessing hypocrisy over and over again the second a show doesn't have a mostly-male ensemble. The people who are in these fandoms are frustrated that good faith attempts to get people interested are met with every excuse in the book that all eventually boils down to "I don't like watching stuff with women in it as much as I like watching stuff with men in it." And if that's how people feel about it... sometimes the conclusions are going to turn into the more uncharitable take of "fandom hates women."

--

Maybe, but whenever I see a "fandom hates women" reblog of my stuff, one or two reblogs further down the chain I get an overt TERF. I just had to go block several people today, in fact.

The first person to reblog with a comment like that is usually subtle, but their friends and friends of friends are not. The rhetoric that very quickly starts is the fandom equivalent of that "All the butches are becoming trans men! We're losing lesbians!" stuff.

Here's the thing: I've been in ten billion fandoms that were so awesome and fit fandom's supposed tastes to a T and yet no amount of promoting them could get anyone to try the canon. This goes for canons that are all men or all white men or all majority ethnicity men or whatever else.

The default state of media is to not engender a big fic fandom.

I agree that the rare outliers mostly follow certain patterns, but we extrapolate too far when we say that a lack of those patterns is why a fandom is small.

A fandom is small because that's the near-universal default.

--

Yes, a small slice of fandom consists of guilt-ridden queer fujoshi who say they want more f/f but don't make much of a move to make that happen. I tend to run into that a lot because of my own tastes and having friends who share those tastes.

Far more of fandom is people talking generally about how representation matters without saying they would personally join these fandoms if they existed.

Neither group is large enough to be the real reason some woman-heavy canon fails to take off to HP levels.

The real reason is not hypocrisy but the fact that most things don't take off like that. Most things without massive, massive audiences especially don't take off like that. And the very few things that do are flukes and don't actually predict that another similar thing will take off in the future.

--

Go to AO3's tag search. Search for all canonical fandom tags. Sort by uses and descending order.

Right now, I get 64,390 tags.

The first page, 50 tags, goes from HP with 497,845 works to the Thor movies with 59,266 works. By page 6, we're below 10 thousand works.

By the end of page 10, we're down to Labyrinth with 3,906.

Somewhere in the top 500 AO3 fandom tags (many of which are just franchise metatags for each other), we go all the way from megafandoms to medium size and down to relatively modest ones.

That's not a lot of room for a big f/f-heavy fandom given the trends in mainstream media and that mainstream media is where most really big fandoms come from.

--

I also notice that you're conflating a lack of desire to watch something that's primarily about women with a lack of desire to watch something that includes women.

There are tons of fans who want something more like The Mummy with a leading man and leading woman they love.

Granted, that's not me and that's not a lot of my fujoshi/slasher audience, but it's extraordinarily common. I know plenty of people who don't like canons that are only dudes, but since they also don't like canons that are only ladies and they don't ship f/f, this gets spun into "fandom hates women".

--

Let me be clear:

Conflating "lesbians" and "women" is a radfem position.

[dribs-and-drabbles]

I was tagged by @veorulfr

1. Your all time favourite bl and why: Bad Buddy. It just raised the bar in so many ways. Was it perfect? No...but is anything? I loved the acting, the characters, the attention to detail, the subverting of tropes...I mean, out of the 70+ BLs I have watched, Bad Buddy was the one that made me crack and start a BL-dedicated tumblr 🤷🏽‍♀️

2. That one bl that scarred you for life: Not sure I would use the word 'scarred' but the one that broke me was Gaya sa Pelikula. I cried so much. (I knew about the ending of HIStory: MODC beforehand, so I didn't watch the end thus escaped that horror).

3. Is there any bl that made you feel very single: Oh, all of them? 😂

4. If you could change one thing from a bl, which one would it be? Sorry, can't/won't choose just one -> Blushing maiden trope, gay for you, top/bottom labelling...they can all go in the incinerator.

5. That one bl you detest (don’t hold back): 'Detest' is a strong word...if I detested something I wouldn't have watched it...but I found it hard to watch all of Make it Right and Love Sick (not just because it was hard to find) but they were long and the characters were a bit young. I was most disappointed with Bite Me!...and I didn't like the drama adaptation of Guardian (I loved the book, I couldn't watch all the drama), but I have to say I don't get the hype around SOTUS 1&2. I never felt the chemistry between Arthit and Kongpob 🤷🏽‍♀️

6. Your top 5: 1) Bad Buddy. 2) HIStory: Trapped. 3) Be Loved in House: I Do. 4) To My Star. 5) Tale of a Thousand Stars.

7. That trashy bl that you lowkey like: Aren't a lot of BLs trashy? 😏 Uh, maybe 2 Moons 2 - I adore Ming and Kit in that.

8. Your favourite Korean bl (it’s important we know): Well, since it's no. 2 in my top five I have to say To My Star

9. But also your top 3 for kbls: 1) To My Star. 2) Colour Rush. 3) Light on Me (special mention to Mr Heart).

10. Season 2? Which One? I only want a season 2 if anything has been left unresolved...and since a lot of BLs are made specifically as a one-time stand alone series I wouldn't want a second season if there was a chance it would ruin the dynamic that had been established. For that reason, I think Colour Rush is the only one I'd like a season 2 of since a big part of the storyline was not resolved...and I know we have that now but I wish they could have had both mains because I'm not sure it will be a good second season 🤷🏽‍♀️

11. A bunch of dramas will air soon. Which ones are you most excited for? Between Us, Cutie Pie, Enchante, To My Star 2, KinnPorsche, (and I'm including Not Me here since it's currently airing).

12. Tag them! Please only do it if you want to, no pressure! @jemmo @isvisomewhere @thequeenofsastiel @actually-yikes @tipsyjaehyun (and anyone else who wants to...I never know who to tag, so if you wish I had tagged you then consider yourself tagged!)

[meteorjam]

Thank you @liyazaki for tagging me! The last time I did this I had only watched like 8 dramas so a lot has changed 70 dramas later!

1. your all time favorite bl and why:

Until We Meet Again Everyone who saw it slowly progress from 6th to 5th to 1st place (BL wise anyway; 2nd overall drama) is laughing right now I'm sure. I was in love with this show from day 1 but every time I rewatched it I would fall more and more in love. Gearing up for a very fun 5th rewatch soon and I never get tired of it. The big draw of this show for me is the deep and moving plot and how loving and caring Dean and Pharm are. Also the family and found family aspects. I just adore this show and could talk about it 24/7. Pharm is also one of my favorite characters of all time.

2. that one bl that scarred you for life:

Bite Me I wouldn't say scarred but I'm still mad at that show for wasting so much of my time it's genuinely my least favorite.

3. bl that made you feel very single:

Sooooo many. Until We Meet Again for sure because DeanPharm are so in love its ridiculous. Bad Buddy as well because ugh PatPran are just so cutely disgusting with their love.

4. if you could change one thing from a bl, which one would it be?

Hmmm Mork ends up in therapy at the end of Fish Upon the Sky lmao

5. your top five:

1. Until We Meet Again 2. A Tale of Thousand Stars 3. Theory of Love 4. He's Coming to Me 5. Cherry Magic A shoutout to Great Men Academy which is actually my favorite drama but I don't consider it BL so it's not on this list.

6. that trashy bl that you lowkey like:

I LOVE Fish Upon the Sky, that show is my comfort show. Yes it's trash but it makes me laugh and I love Duean, Meen, and Pi. Most recently Rainbow Prince. That show is just bad but sooooo good. Like I'm actually obsessed.

7. your favorite korean bl (it’s important we know):

Light On Me !!!!

No question

8. but also your top 3 for kbls:

1. Light On Me 2. Where Your Eyes Linger 3. To My Star 9. season 2? which one?

Honestly I don't usually want a season 2 but I want the next installment of HIStory pleeeaaaase

10. a bunch of dramas will air soon. which ones are you the most excited for?

To the surprise of no one:

Oh! My Sunshine Night 609 Bedtime Story

But also:

Vice Versa Never Let Me Go I Feel You Linger in the Air

I know so many people who've done this recently so I don't know who to tag. If you see this tho and want to do it then feel tagged by me!

[nomoregoldfish]

I Promised You The Moon rant

Just binged it and this was from the episode by episode reaction/discussion with my partner in crime @glossyboy.

First of all, Oab stole the show, singlehandedly, which he's not supposed to. I don't think anyone expected it including himself. In the very top post when I searched his name on tumblr, he said this lol

But the truth is he played one hell of "villain" that required a very nuanced performance and he delivered it in a believable and graceful manner. Jai became the catalyst of the entire season and his rather complicated relationship with Teh was the highlight of part 2.

EP 1

From the very beginning it's clear that part 2 is very much a Teh's story rather than a balanced story about two young people's journey as a couple in the next chapter of their lives. It makes me uncomfortable they made Oh-aew clingy and pessimistic without giving him any character development.

The best part is probably the opening scene where they went paper-rock-scissors to decide who's gonna buy condoms. It felt authentic, the expectation, the hesitation, the mischievous act, all fits their characters well. Other times ep 1 was more like two adult kids playing house, literally in an empty giant ass upper middle class apartment.

EP 2

It's great that they poked the femininity vs. masculinity issue through Oh-aew, but stopped right there at the surface. Missed a perfect opportunity to go head-to-head with the controversial topic, start a debate, crush the stigma of femininity, bring something new, be a real game changer of the BL genre, and most importantly give Oh-aew some concrete character development. Part 1 showed us a gay character that's very comfortable with his sexuality and femininity, that's almost revolutionary in Asia, not as a comic relief but a leading role. Oh-aew questioned his own sexual identity once in that bra wearing scene, it's straight out of comfort zone, BOLD, and transgressive. So I expected more from part 2.

That's it? And they're already sophomores? Can't believe Oh-aew's character has been marginalized like this. It's pathetic.

But I love the brutally honest conversation at the end where Teh vented his rage and despair regarding his frustration of acting. He was acting like a dick because he's disappointed, and scared. Teh again was not afraid of showing vulnerability, making the reconciliation very realistic and touching.

EP 3

Dare I say I freaking love ep 3! The unresolved (partially sexual, but not entirely) tension between Teh and Jai was over the roof! And the built-up to their kiss was very authentic, which paled Teh and Oh-aew's much sidelined storyline, including the long anticipated sex scene (still can't believe it happened right after Jai explicitly instructed Teh to do it after the two spent a whole night bonding, like wow! Totally TRANSGRESSIVE and to some extent, kinky.) Teh looked up to the senior, idolized him, wanted to be good for him and make him proud, thirsted for the validation from him, which was mixed with affections. The workshop diary was a brilliant idea to let them open up to each other and eventually bring them close. This was what a meaningful arc of a story looked like. By contrast, there isn't a single moment between Oh-aew and Teh in part 2 that made me go "Damn it's soooooo hot!"

I know Jai/Teh wasn't the endgame but I appreciate the storyline so much. It's a very bold move considering it broke the over-glorified "one true love in one's life" fantasy of its target audience, mostly young cis women. The popular narrative of "you can only love one person through your life/one true love" in romance fictions/chick flicks was totally smashed. And it wasn't written just to stir up things between Teh and Oh-aew, it wasn't a silly fling. Instead, it's meaningful, complicated, natural, and realistic, delivered by nuanced and excellent acting from two young actors. It's hilarious that fans hate Jai with a passion and call him names.

And big news, Jai is bi?! Bravo! He's radiating bi vibes since his first appearance.

I kind of gave up at this point, the season wouldn't do Oh-aew any justice. Like my partner in crime pointed out, the costume design literally threw some "incongruous female fashion pieces" on Oh-aew, made him dye his hair red, without...making any actual point of his personality or his character development. Wardrobe was supposed to make a point in storytelling. Yes, PP wearing pink is cute, and? There's nothing else for Oh-aew. Unfortunately he's reduced to this sulky, crying, and wronged partner in a failing relationship.

EP 4

Oab again was killing it. The tension between Jai and Teh...from the rehearsal in front of Oh-aew to the dressing room pep talk, was incredibly intense and hot AF.

Was it a manipulative relationship after all? Oab was so good at conveying a character with many faces. Jai's a mentor to Teh, also a good friend, their relationship was genuine. He's also ambitious with his own goals, he used, challenged, provoked Teh in a way that benefited them both. It made sense the title of part 2, I Promised You The Moon, was from Jai's script. He promised Teh what the junior wanted the most, a bright future in acting. Teh's unconventional and unspoken feelings for Jai was the best part of the entire season in terms of creative writing, it's complicated, fragile, delicate and completely heartbreaking.

The after talk in the hallway was so well-written. It's funny (Teh joking about playwrights always write about their EXs is gold), intimate yet meticulously controlled, no one lashed out or wept. Both knew what they signed up for and Jai particularly made it clear about his motive and the purpose of the "special workshop" beforehand (or right away.) Yet it's no one's fault that Teh got carried away. He's younger, he's immature, he's more into it, it's totally natural. It's so romantic when Teh's singing karaoke in the bar with Oh-aew, yet he couldn't help but desperately staring at Jai on the floor, knowing he and the man who just turned him down were never gonna happen, they were done, but he's still madly attracted to him and his talent. He fancied Jai, at least the idea of Jai, a playwright, a director, someone knew him better than himself. That hurt beautifully.

EP 5

Teh/Oh-aew endgame at this point was pretty meaningless. Oh-aew as a leading character never got any solid character development over a span of four years. What happened between Jai and Teh wasn't just "cheating", though they surely made it look that way, like Teh's empty promise of "I won't see him again after the show ends". No matter how Oh-aew and Teh eventually reconciled, there's no emotional connection, no sparkle anymore between the couple.

But I knew for a fact they had to. Otherwise it's too much of a risk financially for the series. The creators had to take the easy way out like most traditional romances—one of the most contrived and formulaic trope where the male leading character made a mistake (usually cheating) and realized he's wrong, he deeply hurt the female leading character (Oh-aew was merely a girl substitute in part 2), then he completely changed for hell knew what reasons, started doing every nicest thing in the world to try to "win" the female character back. It has been feeding the emotionally-deprived cis female readers/audience who are frustrated with heterosexual relationship irl for decades. The formula that made romance outsell other genres of fictions combined in the 60s and 70s still sells today, under the name of boys' love. It's pathetic to see Oh-aew confess to Bas that he always "lost" to Teh. Love shouldn't be some kind of game or competition, there isn't winner or loser in love. Love is spontaneous. Oh-aew didn't lose because Teh developed feelings for someone else, and he didn't win when Teh begged him for reconciliation. People change, people move on.

And as predicted, they went for it. The ending was so absurd and tedious.

Overall, Jai's probably the hardest villain to play, he needed to be REALLY GOOD to be "the bad guy", to make his role conceivable. Oab absolutely nailed it with his talent and experience. He's not even my type or extremely good looking yet I'm 100% SOLD. I immediately re-watched the scene of him kissing Teh back hungrily at the end of ep 3 like I used to re-watch Teh/Oh-aew's steamy make out session at the end of episode 3 part 1. Coincidence?

I like some parts of both seasons for the same reason, each challenged and tried to break some outdated/contrived narratives in the BL genre. Part 1 took on the sexuality taboo by showing two same sex characters sexually attracted to each other, no more "I'm not into boys, I just happened to fall for someone of the same gender" or "pure love" bullshit. By staying true to the characters' sexuality and actually showing it with explicit, intense (and beautifully shot) scenes, the gay characters were normalized. They weren't just pure and innocent, no one was. And it created two of most unconventional gay characters in Asian pop culture, Oh-aew, a beautiful boy who's very comfortable with his own sexuality and femininity, not passive at all, taking initiative to pursue what he wanted; and Teh, a sensitive, caring and vulnerable boy who cried a lot, he's confused but also sweet and brave.

Part 2 tackled the "You can only love one person through your life" trope with a very nuanced story of "cheating". Yet neither carried out what they started. Part 1 fell short of a revolutionary piece that stayed true to "adolescent sexual turmoil", dismissing bisexuality and becoming a typical unrealistic BL fantasy in the end. And Part 2, ugh, forced a "happy ending" that almost no one digs. I understand it's extremely difficult and risky to disrupt the established norms of a genre. But sometimes being transgressive and progressive could be the same thing. A story, an artwork, has to challenge something in order to create something new and compelling.

[tonyspegasus]

My son @jonny-versace​ tagged me!! Thank you love ♥♥

Here we go:

Top three ships

Robron (Still??  ALWAYS!!)

Nothing more to say♥♥

Wangxian (Lan WangJi - Wei WuXian) 

Due to chinese censorship, we got Bromance instead of the BL that was in the novel. But, who are we kidding when they kept looking at each other like this?

YiZhan (Wang YiBo - Xiao Zhan)

Again, due to chinese "intolerance” to LGTB, we will never be able to be absolutely sure, but again.... just look at them 

First ever ship: I was too young to understand it, but this old lady knows better now.

Last song: Livin’ thing (ELO). Spotify list All out of 70s, but for my life, I couldn’t insert the song in here... GOD! I’m so old!!

Currently reading: Have over 24000 wangxian fics in ao3, love the fix-it ones, the modern AU ones, the canon compliant ones, the divergeance, time travel to fix the mess.... ANYTHING!!

Last film: Eternals was in Disney+ and I gave it a go. Can’t complain.

Currently watching: I got WeTV, trying to get everything Xiao Zhan did these 5 years. Douluo Continent was great. His character in Oh! my emperor is the tenderest sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. Super Star Academy is my not-guilty pleasure. The untamed is the eternal rewatch.

When I get tired of reading the stupid subtitles, I go back to my Robron, but only certain episodes, like the reunion 2.0, wedding 1.0 (sometimes 2.0), Robert’s Xmas nightmare...

Current craving: Holidays!!!

I’ve been a bit absent lately, so I have no clue who I can tag...

[namtanlovesfilm]

axelle judges bl shows > My Engineer

shitty summary: Duen accidentally punches Bohn on their first meeting, which causes Bohn to ask for him to bring him one rose every morning for a month. Bohn quickly ends up developing a crush on Duen and brings both of their groups of friends together, also creating other unexpected pairings...

where to watch: youtube

grade: 8,5/10

pros:

- my favorite thing about this show is the tone. I’ve talked about it many times before so I’ll keep it short but it’s so funny & lighthearted which means that even when there are more serious scenes you never end up sad or depressed. it’s just such a good feel good show & I would advise watching (or rewatching) it when you’re a little down, it’ll cheer you up. also the fact that there are clearly a few over the top tropes (the boxing match, duen waxing bohn in his sleep...) doesn’t feel out of place at all bc it fits with the tone of the show.

- all four ships were awesome. they each were different in story and tone and it’s probably the first time where I don’t feel like four ships is too much. I genuinely cared for all four of them and I think the show wouldn’t be complete if one of them was missing.

- the characters were so freaking good. even though there are a lot of them, they’re all so lovely and all of the main characters have very different but all equally lovely personalities. I literally could not choose only one favorite, which is always a good indicator that the characters are great :)

- the writing was unexpectedly good and made for a really pleasant show.

- I’ve never seen a more fair repartition of screentime. usually the main couple holds up at least 70% of the screentime while the secondary ships have to make due with the rest but here I felt like the repartition was really good. bohnduen and ramking held up about 30% each while mekboss and tharafrong had 20% each. and that’s what I’d like to see from every bl show!

cons:

- bohnduen’s drama got a little too much towards the end and sorta cheapened their relationship & got very repetitive very quick. I still love them but yeah, they could’ve been written a bit better.

would I rewatch it: absolutely!

top/bottom discourse: 0 - 1 - 2 - 3

(1 being implied, 2 being shown and 3 being said)

Frankly this show is probably gonna be in my favorites of the year. I absolutely loved it. It had flaws for sure but it felt really good to have a fully funny & lighthearted bl show even with the very few more serious storylines. It was genuinely super lovely & this show is definitely going to become one that I recommend a lot!

[kagemajaya]

Unripe Expression - High school romance and friendship done well

Misughan Pyohyeon - 2016, Aga - 9/10

Jaewon and his boys - my favorite harem yet

I’m not much of a manga reader, if you don’t count BLs that is. BL manga is one of the very few things that can pull me out of boredom, and I consume on average one volume a day. Korean webtoons are definitely a part of this comic devotion of mine. They are almost always easy to consume (not something I can say for manga) and the format lends itself to binging extremely well. Many a night, starting a new 80+ chapter webtoon has been a grave mistake for me, as I end up welcoming the sun with whatever couple I’m on a journey with at the time. Another feature of most BL webtoons is that somehow their drama never suffocates me, no matter the seriousness. Albeit a huge generalization, even when they make me cry rivers, they never feel quite so pessimistic as their Japanese counterparts. I always know what sort of an emotional reaction I’ll get out of them - which is not a bad thing if you are reading romance as a enjoyable pastime.

Unripe Expression, while seemingly just another one of the cute high school romances with some light drama, changed my mind as it built towards something subtly different. Throughout the majority of the story, I had two main feelings: that the story was ordinary but very involving, and that the main cast was individually superb characters. They were well-written and had lives and feelings of their own, and they were all extremely sympathetic even after they made mistakes. At the end, my feelings on the boys remained strong, but another thought struck me. The story was their desires, interactions, overall relationships, and characterization otherwise. The romantic pursuits and the friendships that Aga showed us were nuanced and alive, and I love each and every one of them.

Jaewon, the MC, is a sweet guy and first and foremost I wanted his choice to be realized, and this was in spite of Junseo being my best boy. While Jaewon had agency in the narrative, and he had a choice from the very beginning, the romantic plot never revealed what it had in store for us at the end. This is a 70 chapter comic, and I only knew who the lucky guy was in the last 2-3 chapters, a truly unpredictable gem. This can rattle a lot of people, and perhaps, if I hadn’t been convinced by the relationships of Jaewon and the boys, I’d have felt the same. Looking up some reviews after I finished the story, I found that not a lot of people were happy about the ending, so this might not be one of the stories you choose to read when you are in the mood for wish fulfillment. Speaking for myself, it fulfilled my wishes in terms of great relationship development on all counts, so even if I felt sad for the unlucky ones, I was completely satisfied with the way this particular story turned out. I bought every one of their plotlines, and that none of them were tools for fanservice to the audience. I was reading the real lives of a bunch of good high school boys, and what I wanted for them was not really their concern. Aga certainly has the qualities of a writer that I respect passionately. They seem to be writing for art and not the reader. Having said that, I’m still a weak human, so I’d love to see a continuation story for the other boys who couldn’t get Jaewon. [Big spoilers past this point until marked otherwise.]

Is it gonna be him or him or him? An embarrassment of riches...

First and foremost of those boys is of course Junseo, the reason for the public outcry in reviews. Junseo is the most well-built character and it is perfectly natural to be on his side as he helps Jaewon through his identity crisis and romantic troubles chasing Karam. He is sweet, loyal, a great friend, and as we witness him support his friend wholeheartedly, he falls in love with him in the process. The fact that he had already had a very intense relationship before high school and was broken hearted over it adds to our deep sympathy for him. His own transition from friend to boy in love is believable, and the story helps us support him in his quest through the first half of it - until we start getting a bit more into how Karam sees Jaewon (well at least me!)

My journey in what I want for Jaewon was quite shaky. In fact I’d say I’d have probably felt okay with whoever he ended up with. However, my top choice changed throughout the story; first Karam, then Junseo, and Karam again. I never stopped loving Junseo the best and feeling for him, but as mentioned, I wanted Jaewon to have who he wanted. We knew Karam was slightly interested in him from the beginning but the nature of that was not entirely clear. As we got further away from understanding him, my heart was turning towards Junseo and giving him what he wanted. However, Aga eventually turned the story back to Karam, with a new tool in the game - Jaewon’s first love Yoonsung. Yoonsung didn’t only trigger Karam to understand his own feelings better, he also showed us that Jaewon’s feelings were fully mutual. Karam can come across as the least developed of the group, and he is certainly the “less exciting” choice, but his own struggles with his feelings were gripping. Despite feeling that Jaewon was special, and despite being confessed to, he turned down Jaewon and still wanted to stay with him. This trope of being scared to lose a friend can come across as ordinary, but in this case the execution was superb. Karam wasn’t actually scared, and without respite, he kept sticking to Jaewon and flirting with him and doing everything in his power to stay in his heart. He didn’t want to lose Jaewon’s love for him to Yoonsung. The inherent selfishness of this is also inherently titillating to me - as long as Jaewon was only looking at him, he didn’t want to bother with the troubles that come with romance. Thankfully, Yoonsung came across as a very open threat to his possessive love. Little did he know, the real possible competition was Jaewon’s best friend Junseo.

Yoonsung himself comes across as the easy boy, the playboy who is playing games, and why would we ever root for him? The truth is we’ve read plenty of BL where the childhood love of the hero returns and has had a transformation of his own and gains the heart of his love again. Yoonsung is a charming boy, and from his perspective, the story is a sad one. The boy he’s loved all his life doesn’t pick him, and he doesn’t even make it simple. Jaewon’s protests against Yoonsung’s advances are flimsy at best. In the space of a few days, he gives hope to all three boys with his actions. Karam has already been confessed to, Yoonsung is allowed physical closeness, and Junseo emotional closeness. Jaewon’s relationships with each of them make these interactions believable and not-unlikeable. They are all a part of the natural flow, and in the end, as a boy who has been turned down, his confusion is natural. I find the final choice of Karam incredibly realistic, as he’s never stopped loving him. And luckily for Karam, he wasn’t too late to fix what he had almost undone. Unlucky for Junseo of course, because given enough time, I have no doubt that he could have made Jaewon forget about Karam’s rejection. Just the timing wasn’t right. Poor Yoonsung, on the other hand, was entirely too late. His time had been almost ten years ago. His unintentional rejection of Jaewon as a well-meaning child was the final chance he was ever going to get. 

Jaewon is the wholesomest slut in the world of BL

Another entirely doki doki element of the webtoon is that throughout the story no one ever finds out how close Jaewon and Junseo were. It was their own world, making their friendship particularly special - and make no mistake, it was a friendship, of the best kind. A huge strength of this webtoon was that despite most of the boys being in love with Jaewon, it wasn’t only about romance. It was very much about friendship, friendship of people who might have romantic connections as well. Whilst in many romance stories, friendship can be neglected, it is even rarer to see lovers or love interests portrayed properly as a friend. The perfection of how Junseo was equally in love and a loyal friend is one of the biggest draws here. Of course, we don’t only have Junseo as a friend but also Jaehee, who was the only straight boy in the crowd, Jaewon’s other best friend. Jaehee had a smaller role compared to the others, however, from his initial reaction to how he got himself forgiven and how he silently watched over his friend without wanting to make him uncomfortable, he had a subtle and sweet character development of his own. He was the less complicated friend-the one who was always there, unlike Junseo who had to leave at the end. And that choice was probably the one that made me the saddest. It was clear to me that Jaewon wasn’t only a crush for Junseo, so seeing him throw away his friendship was particularly sad. Jaewon respected his choice in the end, as he had briefly been there with Karam and didn’t appreciate the situation he was put in (once again showing that Karam is not such a goodie two-shoes.) In the end, this made the ending particularly bittersweet - not only because best boy Junseo didn’t get the boy but also because they had lost their best friends in each other as well. If we ever get a sequel, I would love to see Junseo get a boyfriend of his own, and back to being friends with Jaewon - and close friends at that! If I had to complain about anything at all, it would be that friendship does come behind romance as the main theme, and this means that once the romantic plotline ends, we don’t get to see any “side stories” to see where they all end up. Given how important friendship is to the rest of the story, it would have been more fulfilling to have one for the road.

Spoilers done!

In the end, Unripe Expression was a great success - telling a heartfelt story of love and friendship of five sweet boys, all of whom you could route for, for their own happiness. Harem is a particularly difficult structure to realistically execute and Aga did it perfectly here. None of the characters’ interest in the main character felt forced and I never found myself thinking, oh my god, why does everyone like this one boy! Even if the last choice may be controversial to some, Unripe Expression tells the story of Jaewon’s romantic escapades in a heartfelt and well-constructed fashion. Hopefully, you’ll give this beautiful (and extremely bingeable) webtoon a shot and Aga will one day grace us with more of their imagination and more of these boys’ friendships.