#ohm pawat look what you made me do

[waitmyturtles]

SOME GOOD SHOWS THAT I LIKED IN 2023! (AND SOME THAT I DIDN'T)

I watched A LOT of stuff that did not originally air in 2023 by dint of my Old GMMTV Challenge. This list is inclusive of this recognition!

THE BEST SHOW I WATCHED THIS YEAR: HE'S COMING TO ME

I have no other words: this is my favorite Thai BL of all time. Perfect length, perfect plot, perfect celebration of Thai culture, perfect acting, the greatest coming out scene of all time, the BEST of the best BL moms. Perfection.

THE OTHER BEST SHOW I WATCHED THIS YEAR: BAD BUDDY

I don't even want to think about how many words I've written on Bad Buddy this year, but they're well deserved for this REMARKABLE show. I've got a thing for shows by Aof Noppharnach that feature Ohm Pawat, what can I say!

THE MOST INFLUENTIAL SHOW(S) I WATCHED THIS YEAR: LOVE SICK AND SOTUS

The influence of Love Sick and SOTUS can be seen in SO MANY Thai BLs, even through today. Without having watched these two shows to start my OGMMTVC project, I wouldn't have the context for what later shows like Bad Buddy and Theory of Love were commenting on by way of their content and structures. Love Sick in particular was a HELL of a lift -- but I am damn glad I watched it, and I certainly feel nostalgia for it today.

Honorable mentions of influential pieces that had impacts on Thai BLs: Love of Siam and Dew the Movie

MY OTHER FAVORITE OLD SHOWS I WATCHED: UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN AND THEORY OF LOVE

BANGERS!!!

If New Siwaj ever tops Until We Meet Again, I'll fly to Bangkok and give him a gold medal. That long-ass show, 17 EPISODES, I WANTED MORE! OhmFluke's chemistry was great, the story delved SO deeply into historical homophobia and how culture and acceptance changes over time -- scrumptious. Theory of Love, man, the way this show ate up implicit compassion bias and gave it right back to us. I loved it. KHAI FOREVER!

THE BEST SHOW I WATCHED THAT ACTUALLY AIRED IN 2023: MOONLIGHT CHICKEN

Not only was Moonlight Chicken my first real live fandom experience on Tumblr, it was a hell of an amazing show, incorporating so much of what I love particularly about Thai BLs, and how many Thai BLs do not shy away from celebrating Asian cultural touchpoints. From exploring Jim's internalized homophobia by way of his rural upbringing, to juxtaposing Pattaya's spiritual symbols with growing development that upends older strains of local culture, Moonlight Chicken offered a lovely commentary on what it means to be queer in an ever-changing Thailand.

THE OTHER BEST SHOW I WATCHED THAT ACTUALLY AIRED IN 2023: WHAT DID YOU EAT YESTERDAY?/KINOU NANI TABETA? SEASON 2

BRILLIANTLY ACTED by literally the best actors in the Asian BL game: we are blessed that Nishijima Hidetoshi and Uchino Seiyou have given so much to this franchise. It's hard to write about this show because it's so perfect -- it needs no extraneous words. Plot, pacing, acting, character development, gratuitous food shots. It has it all.

THE OTHER OTHER BEST SHOW I WATCHED THAT ACTUALLY AIRED IN 2023: I CANNOT REACH YOU

Just like Bad Buddy looked at Thai BL tropes in the eye and said, "over my Nong Nao," I Cannot Reach You asked Japanese BLs about the efficacy of almost every trope we've gotten used to, and questioned them with efficiency. The biggest shocker for me? REAL COMMUNICATION, encouraged by the CIPHER, Hosaka, that allowed the two lead protagonists to confirm their love and understand each other. It was straightforward and FUCKING GOOD.

A SHOW THAT AIRED IN 2023 THAT I HAVEN'T WRITTEN ABOUT YET, THAT I NEED TO REWATCH IN CHRONOLOGY, THAT ALSO DID SOME TROPE/GENRE ASS-KICKING THAT I'M STILL THINKING ABOUT: LA PLUIE

La Pluie was FEARLESS. The show had a LOT to say about romance and soulmates not being as much of a realistic thing as content-makers... and, frankly, majority society would like us to think. La Pluie made its characters WORK for love and understanding, and had us viewers face our implicit biases about how romantic content should and could work. I watched this show out of order of the OGMMTVC watchlist to see it it was one of the best of the year, and it certainly is. I'm planning a deep rewatch for early 2024 to pen my words on it.

A SHOW THAT ALMOST TOPPED MY 2023 LIST BUT GOT DOCKED BECAUSE I ENDED UP LIKING THE NOVEL A LOT BETTER: I FEEL YOU LINGER IN THE AIR

@neuroticbookworm and @lurkingshan know that I flipped THA FUCK out over this show -- FABULOUSLY acted by Nonkul Chanon and Bright Rapheephong, FABULOUS cinematography, great story up until the end of the series. My fangirling led me to read the original novel by Violet Rain, and -- I found out that Jom was a lot more damn sassy than we got in the show! Tee Bundit's penchant for sadness won. This is not to dock the show, but the novel had more than enough material to carry the series through without repeating themes in the end. So it fell on my 2023 list, womp womp. BUT I STILL LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS SHOW, DON'T GET ME WRONG.

TWO SHOWS THAT I'M SUPER GLAD I CAUGHT UP WITH WHILE THEY WERE AIRING: THE EIGHTH SENSE AND BE MY FAVORITE

Be My Favorite looked at Krist Perawat's checkered past as a BL idol and said: we are going to examine this and make an honest BL out of inspiration from it. It wasn't a perfect show, the time travel shit didn't end up adding up in the end, BUT -- excellent acting from two GMMTV VETS made up for those tangles, and I loved the contextual philosophical references throughout the series. The Eighth Sense looked at the tug-of-war that Korean BLs have with K-dramas and their tropes and said, actually? We will have these dudes full-frontal kiss, and placed that energy against commentaries on mental health, both topics that Korea hasn't quite embraced as quickly as other countries.

HONORABLE MENTIONS OF OTHER AWESOME SHOWS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE AIRED IN 2023

Make It Right, Our Dating Sim, Dark Blue Kiss, Gay OK Bangkok, Dirty Laundry, 10 Years Ticket, I Told Sunset About You, I Promised You the Moon, 3 Will Be Free, Lovely Writer (underrated?!), Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars (UNDERRATED!), and Manner of Death.

And the shows that are airing that I know will stay with me well into 2024: Last Twilight and Cherry Magic Thailand.

I had fun!

WHAT ELSE, WHAT ELSE: THE "NO" SHOWS: THE PROMISE AND STEP BY STEP

I'm not even hyperlinking my thoughts on these shows, nor gifting them with gifs. Insert Bugs Bunny NOOOOOO gif here! We got Man Trisanu, though.

THE SHOW I WAS THE MOST OBVIOUSLY DISAPPOINTED BY: ONLY FRIENDS

Despite my passionate disappointment for this show and how it ended: in the context of the OGMMTVC, Only Friends is still an incredibly important inclusion to the list. Some amazing Tumblr bloggers offered commentary that the bias against sex that OF contained within the show was actually importantly and culturally contextual to the still-conservative state of acceptance that Thailand is currently in (here and here for more reading).

Only Friends reminded us that despite any kind of marketing that we here on Tumblr, as a majority non-Thai audience, may receive about a Thai show -- that we are still not fully plugged into the non-verbal expectations of what a show like OF could promise to do, and to be okay when it doesn't reach those heights. In light of the seemingly pro-sex marketing blasts that previewed the series before its airing, OF ultimately seemed to want to take casual sex, chew it up, and spit it out. There might be reasons why that happened that we just don't know about as outsiders to Thailand. But as an Asian-American viewer that was hoping for neutral -- and maybe even supportive -- commentary on single folks having casual sex without judgement, OF did not deliver for me.

I'm ending the year reading Dr. Thomas Baudinette's book, Boys Love Media in Thailand, the first book-length ethnographic study on the impact of BL on queerness, media, and more in Thailand and across Asia. Baudinette comes from the world of Japanese queer media studies -- as someone who came to Thai BLs this year from Japanese BLs, I appreciate his trajectory. It's clearly a necessity for me to read this book in the context of the OGMMTVC, to understand how Thai BLs have changed over time, and to understand the incredibly larger impact of heterosexual/heteronormative media and themes on Thai media as a whole, as larger and larger swaths of Thai, Asian, and international societies welcome and watch BLs with open arms.

All of this feeds into my ever-growing body of knowledge about the impact of Thai BLs, both in Thailand and across Asia, as Baudinette writes about, and how these shows have and are developed/developing over time. It's been an AMAZING YEAR of watching old and new dramas for me, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the genre grows even more in 2024.

I also made AMAZING FRIENDS on Tumblr -- y'all know who you are! What a year of growth and discovery for me: this has been a fabulous experience, and I'm looking forward to even more growth in the new year!

[nnnn99999]

I finished watching ep 1 and 2 of bad buddy series and I love it already. I really want to watch more but it's already super late and I need to go sleep. Here are my thoughts on this series so far.

The production is really good so far.

The music really stands out to me. It is used a lot but doesn't feel overdone. I need to rewatch to be sure if it's as intentional as I think it is, but the music adds context to the scenes which is fun.

This show is so funny. Not in a cringey way either. More like a lighthearted and natural way. Like I found myself genuinely laughing out loud at times.

Pat, Pran and Pa are so adorable.

The baby versions of the characters are so cute oh my motherly heart.

I am really digging the PatPran frenemy dynamics. I need to see more before I elaborate why I like their dynamics so much. I just adore them already.

When I look at Pat I just see a husky.

Pran seems to be the most self aware character so far. I want to see if he will be the first one to notice the dynamic shift as their relationship changes.

Seeing the PatPa sibling dynamic made me appreciate my sister so much. Sure, she often uses the older sister card to make me do stuff, but at least she is not gross. Also she gives me tasks, not chores. Yes Pat I am telling you to stop making Pa do your chores. Justice for younger siblings who have to do chores for their older siblings!

The PatPran fake fighting is so funny. Baby PatPran falling over when their hands are a mile away from each other was so hilarious. The adult version of the fake fighting is actually one of my favorite scenes so far. I need to revisit this when I am done watching the whole thing because I know there's a lot I missed here.

I hate when parents try to indoctrinate their children. Just let them breathe okay? Have your feuds and friends and whatever without dragging your children into it. Also stop putting pressure on your children and let them do what they want. Just give them the freedom to grow. They are their own person, so let them explore themselves on their own. Ugh I'll leave it at that for now but I already have so much more to say about both sets of parents and I can tell its probably going to get worse. Like I know they love their children a lot but ugh. I just know these parents are going to piss me off later on in this show. I just know it.

That one scene where Pat touches Pran's face without washing his hands after peeing was so gross. I know Pat is gross in general but that was too much.

The number of times I went 'boys being idiots' in just 2 eps is astounding. This is the brand of idiocy I have only ever seen within a group of boys. These boys sent me back to my school days. I have seen these exact scenes and conversations happen. Especially the one where Pran's friends tease him about being hit on. I will never forget that tone of voice. Even the getting ready to fight at the drop of a hat is so familiar. The number of times I have seen boys getting all up in each others' faces for the stupidest reasons imaginable are countless. I have never seen boys actually fight in school but I had a guy friend tell me all about their fights outside of school. Then these same boys who were punching each other because one hit the other with a paper bullet launched from a rubber band slingshot(they were having a war in class and I almost got hit multiple times) would hug each other and jump around when the school team won a sports match. Also, their collective IQ seems to magically disappear when they are together and they are left with half a braincell to be shared by the whole group. That's why they become boys being idiots.

OhmNanon are undoubtedly the stars of this show and not just because they are the main characters. They are doing such a great job of selling me their characters. Their scenes together are so fun to watch.

I am going to write a separate post about Ohm Pawat specifically because I already have so much to say about him.

Yeah I think that's about it. Actually there is more but I want to see how some things develop before I comment on those. @airenyah I am so glad I can share this with you. I love it so much already. I totally understand the obsession, I am quickly getting there too. Like I want to rewatch it already. I knew I was going to like bbs considering our mutual love for simm and ha but I really didn't expect to like it so much already. I didn't even watch the trailer, I just jumped into the 1st ep directly. And well I am having a blast!

[bibimbinge]

10 BL boys I want carnally <3

Much much love to @ayansbff for tagging me!! I hope you know what you’re in for cause tagging me in a post to simp?? ok! I have a reason to SCREAM about these men who made me question my asexuality.

Mantrisanu - Jeng (Step by Step)

nobody but my acemate (@mooniyuta) knows just how obsessed I was with Mantrisanu during the Step by Step era. When I tell ya I forgot I was ace as soon as I saw his giant 1.90m ass on screen.. I forgot I was even a person. I am a squirrel needing to climb a tree. WOW! just WOW!! Step by Step? No! Step On Me.

Jam Rachata - Tinn/Jiu (Laws Of Attaction/To Sir With Love)

just Jam Rachata in general. He’s just a few years older than me but I will call him Daddy. When I saw him in Laws of Attraction I was intrigued then I stayed for the plot then I got hooked with their chemistry. Lucky for me I’ve never watched To Sir With Love before, so I did… and I can hear the wedding bells ringing as soon as I saw how his hunky meaty goodness handle that rusted half scissors turned murder weapon.

First Kanaphan - Alan/Sand (Moonlight Chicken/Only Friends)

I’ve been salivating for this man since Not Me. I suffered through The Shipper for this man. It’s not just his beautiful handsome gorgeous self that does it for me, its also his charm. Like he’s so charming and has this aura about him that’s just warm and homey. His smile is like the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. His eyes are just so sparkly and beautiful, if I ever meet him irl I’d probably trip over myself getting lost in them. I understand Khaotung not wanting to share him with anyone because I would do the same.

Bright - Yai (I Feel You Linger In The Air)

He’s so handsome I can cry. This man is like Jam x2. Like he has such a perfect face for male lead in romance genre. Where has he been all my life?? Maybe its Yai the character that feeds my deluluism, but when General Yai popped up in ifylita with a freakin porn stache and I wasn’t immidiately appalled, I knew I was a goner.

Neo - Boston (Only Friends)

Neo has always been cute to me. Catches my eye in every series he’s in but then Only Friends happened AND I WAS FLOORED!!! It was like ya know when you enter your teen years and that cute person you’ve grown up with had a growth spurt and you’re like daaaang when did you get hot 👀 Yeah that’s me with Neo.

Ohm Pawat - Pat (Bad Buddy)

specifically Ohm as Pat cause he was chunky and meaty and oof his arms were distracting as fuck. Anytime he showed up with that damn tank top I was like pls may I bite. He’s just so *feral animalistic growling* I personally love a man whos chunky meaty mucles and looks like they can lift me. AND HIS SMILE??? HIS TWINKLING EYED SMILE?!?!?!?! I’m gone. what a baaaabe!!!

Try imagining? alrighty if you say so 😚

Keita Machida - Kurosawa (Cherry Magic)

I remember watching cherry magic for the first time in 2020 and I was in awe. He is so dreamy and handsome. I hate to say it again guys but.. his smile!! Like I’m obsessed with him!! Both me and bestie screamed when we saw him in Alice In Borderland (overgrown blondie with roots showing and he is messy and he smokes and I was barely breathing) and then scream cried when his head EXPLODED!?!?!?!) Anyway, I’d marry this guy. like legit.

Earth Pirapat - Jim (Moonlight Chicken)

I am not done with the young dilfs. I have no other words other than !! HIM !! like I would need to make a seperate Earth appreciation post to start talking about him. This post is getting too long anyway so I’m gonna not say much here but.. just know I would drop everything for him.

Papang - Gumpa (Not Me)

my need for Papang to suffocate me in his tiddies arms is like my human need to eat to keep myself sustained. He just looks like the best recharging station. That doesn’t make sense but it makes sense.

Even going through the gif list to choose a Papang gif gave my tummy flips

Bosston Suphadach - Pruk (Between Us)

THERE’S A NEWBIE ON MY LIST WOO!!! I feel like because he hasnt been here long and has only played sub-minor parts, people forgot about him .. BUT I. DID. NOT. <3 Did you see him in between us alongside Sammy?? Yes. I too would be purposefully tripping in front of him so that he can hold me in his big strong arms. Also him and the doctor in Be My Favourite?? SIIIIICKKK!!!! Let’s just say I’m excited to watch their spinoff next year ✨

I’ve got a few more but these men are mainly the ones that I need to have. In conclusion, Big Guy, Big Arms, Big Smiles. Love them, Love Him.

thank you lovely gif makers @zhivchik @mushiemadarame @rayandgay @wanderlust-in-my-soul @kiyosuku @warmday @sunsetandthemoon @bunnakit @daikunart and lovely moots @dramalets @drama-nonsense @mooniyuta @mooninagust @these-emo-thoughts @sparklyeyedhimbo @khaotungsfirst @blue-grama @absolutebl @troubled-mind who enable this obsession.

[talkingbl]

I Put 34 GMMTV Actor Names Into A Random Pairing Generator...here are the results.

and my thoughts on each. S/o to the internet for this idea.

Key: Yes No Interesting

Off-Louis. No

I cannot picture this pair at all, sorry.

Nanon-Ford. Interesting

This one is interesting. Ford has potential and the Our Skyy 2 trailer & clips proves that Nanon can retain chemistry with just about anyone, regardless of the circumstances ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°).

Tay-Thor. Interesting

For some reason, I can see it. I can't explain it, but Thor's acting energy matches Tay's so well. I can kind of see it for them in a modern-style romantic comedy.

Mark-Mix. Yes

How have I not thought of this!!! Visuals: ✨SCRUMPTIOUS✨, Talent: ✨EXISTENT✨, Chemistry: ✨SCORCHING✨! (Well, that last one is more of a guess) but I can 100% see them in a continuation story of Jedi-Rose-style storyline that we saw in The Warp Effect. GMMTV, pay me for this one.

Neo-Krist. No

I sort of see it but, sadly, I'm not sure I can conceive of a suitable plot to match their skills. And even though I've only seen Krist in one series, I feel like the chemistry wouldn't play off the screen very well.

Earth-Pond. No

Beautiful visuals but probably negative chemistry. While Earth has more partnerships to study when it comes to chemistry, Pond only has demonstrated chemistry with Phuwin and he struggles to even maintain that the moment he opens his mouth.

Podd-Gawin. This one is cheating, we already know they work.

Gemini-Chimon. No

To be quite frank, I don't think Gemini can match Chimon's energy. While their acting skill is at a somewhat similar level, I don't think Gemini can pull off the type of characters I expect Chimon to be acting alongside at this point (like, for example, a young office worker/intern).

Joss-New. Lmao Yes

This has the potential to be the most entertaining BL of all time. Up there with Unforgotten Night, even

Drake-Dunk. What in the fresh hell is this?

Listen, I see Dunk. View him even. But to ask him to pull this chemistry up by its bootstraps is doing too damn much. Not only can I not see the chemistry, but even the visuals don't match well. Plus, who gon act?

Joong-Fourth. No (and yes it's for the reasons you're thinking)

The biggest problem with this pairing is the implication of the visual. IMO Joong looks like Fourth's uncle to me. And while they don't *really* look alike, they do, you know?

Bright-Khaotung. Khaotung, I am so sorry to you.

If Bright couldn't match Win's acting skill, how can he match Khao's?

Perth-Gun. Interesting

While I'd watch it just to see two very talented actors play off of one another, I almost feel like they'd be brought down by chemistry? Hear me out here: Gun does not easily create romantic chemistry with his acting partners. Even where there are strong romantic undertones to a plot his character is in, it almost completely dissipates under Gun's strong presence. I'm thinking very clearly of TodBlack here. We were 100% meant to ship that but Gun made it so hard lol. He had much more chemistry with Mond as Gram (as White and Black) than he had with Sing as Tod. Hell, some storylines complicate his chemistry with Off. That said, if it's a Not Me-style plot, I'd watch it.

First-Satang. VERY Interesting

I haven't seen Satang in much but he gives vibes of being able to create chemistry with anyone a la Nanon and, ironically, First. And we all know what to expect from First at this point. They'll give us what Marc Pahun and Pawin were supposed to give in MGAYG.

Winny-Win. Interesting

While both of them could use acting classes, their looks complement each other and they have the vibes to pull off a $2 Copy A Bangkok-airing-on-AIS Play BL plot.

Ohm (Pawat)-Singto. Been there, done that.

Fluke (Pusit)-Phuwin. I'll have to pass

I like them both in other pairings but together they'd kind of put me off. I'd need a proof of concept or something first.

[charthanry]

BBS: Deconstructing the Entire Series (Part 2 of 13)

Welcome to my deep dive into each episode where I break down character motives, P’Aof’s delivery, and general musings of all things BBS. Basically, a scene-by-scene recap with commentary from me, your friendly neighborhood commentator. If you missed the previous installment of breaking down episode one, you can check it out here.

Recapping the recap: We left off EP1 with the reveal that Pat and Pran are dorm room neighbors only they don’t know it yet. Pran is quietly owning his feelings for Pat by wearing the watch Pat returned to him as kids. The two friend groups are annoyingly aggressive for no apparent reason other than it’s something to do? PatPran are tasked with keeping them in line and by doing so, have a built-in excuse and access to each other.

Episode Two: Mr. Dumpling, Mistaken Identities, and Dumbass Friends (or AKA Pran asks himself “How is this my life?”)

Mr. Dumpling, also known as the boy across the hall. 

We begin with two very different perspectives of the boys’ morning routines. Pran the ever pragmatic rises with the sun, spends time meticulously primping and practicing his come hither look in front of the mirror. He even takes the time to prepare a nutritious breakfast, where his toast must line up just so, all while listening to classical music. This is Mr. Type A with all his adorable neuroses on display and we love it, and him.

Across the hall his antithesis, Pat, snoozes away multiple times (Pat, you’re my spirit animal, those last dredges of snoozing are the best sleep ever). This lays the foundation, in case we didn’t already know, that these two are total opposites. Pat finally crawls out of bed at the very last minute and quickly pulls on the nearest items of clothing, yet still manages to look put together. We hate him. He does so while jamming to alt-rock tunes. Again, total opposites. We’re picking up what you’re laying down, show.

What’s even more hilarious is that although Pran wakes up over an hour earlier than Pat, he still somehow manages to leave his room after Pat does. Ah, Pat you lead such a charmed life. And it’s about to get even more charming. 

If you must encroach on my personal space, could you at least wash your hands first?

Pat and his cronies are headed towards the new curry restaurant for lunch when Pat considerately sends Pran a text to inform him of his whereabouts. A surprised Pran texts back that he and his friends already have dibs and sends Pat a photo of his half-eaten meal. Thinking quickly, Pat maneuvers his crew to a noodle shop instead. We’re then shown a fun montage of all the times Pat and Pran ran interference so their friends wouldn’t bump into each other. The most hilarious one being in the restroom where upon exiting a stall, Pran is shoved back inside by Pat who covers his mouth with his hand (this time not so HOT) as he hides Pran from his boys. This shows us that Pat and Pran are in sync and in total collusion with each other to keep their two groups apart. 

But we all know what they say about the best laid plans. The two gangs run into each other anyway; at the bus stop where taunting ensues. And we're all thinking calm your asses down, it is not that serious. Before things can escalate further, Pran and his sexy brain concocts a story of how their senior faculty members built the bus stop together and declared it as the pavilion of peace. Pat picks up on Pran’s intent and backs his story. Their idiot friends fall for it and everyone slinks away to their respective corners. Pat sidles next to Pran and asks if the story is true, Pran nods at the CCTV camera above them and Pat puts two and two together. Again, they’re totally in sync. 

My notification tune for you is set to: Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On 

The scene changes to Pran in his room working on his song (we all know what this song will eventually be!) when there’s a knock at his door. He’s got dinner delivered. As he sits down to eat, he gets a text from Pat asking if he’s in for the night and we’re treated to the most adorable text exchange. Pran asking Pat why he needs to know, are they boyfriends? (Squeeee! Nobody ever try to convince me that Pran is shy. It just isn’t true.) Pat responds with he’s never had to report his whereabouts to someone 24/7 like this and the only thing left for them to do is share a bed so that they can keep tabs on each other at all times. Pran responds with a puke emoji, but we know that it’s all deflection.

Pran proceeds to take a bite out of a humongous piece of fried chicken, and makes it look so delicious that we’re all drooling. He then finds a salad in the bag and thinks it came with the meal even though he didn’t specifically order it. After he’s done eating, he gets a call from the food delivery guy (cameo’d by BBS casting director!) saying he mixed up his delivery with his neighbor’s from across the hall. Because Pran is a considerate soul, he grabs three oishi green tea bottles and goes over to apologize. And the entire fandom collectively holds our breath thinking this is the moment they finally realize they’re neighbors! But his knock goes unanswered, and he instead leaves the bag at the door with a note.

Sorry :( I ate your salad. These drinks are my apology. 

But also, a guy who takes care of his cuticles? I want no more disparagement of Pat being dirty (unless it’s in the bedroom).

After Pran goes back to his room, Pat finally comes to the door and finds the bag of drinks as well as the note. He sees the precise and neat handwriting and assumes it’s from a girl. Inside we see that he has Pa over as he shows off to her that the receipt is folded into an origami crane. He imagines his female neighbor to be a health junkie and decides she’s flirting with him and he’s going to reciprocate. 

The next day Pran finds boxed dumplings hanging on his door with a “thank you” note attached. Pran works out that it’s from his neighbor and doesn’t know what to make of it.

It’s lunch time and we see that Pran and his mates are at the curry restaurant again (are there no other restaurants for them to eat at??) and the group is teasing Pran about his secret admirer. They work out that it’s a dude based on the pronoun used in the thank you note. They tease Pran mercilessly and ask if he already likes HIM and the face Pran makes is ADORBS as he looks out the window towards a group of guys.

Apparently, Pran has a built-in homing beacon linked to Pat because we see that Pat is sitting outside that same restaurant with his crew. And the timing of the screen switching to Pat when Pran’s friends ask if he likes HIM (the neighbor) is just too well done. Show, we’re onto you. Also, F*CK ME does Pat look GOOD here. We don’t blame you, Pran, we’d stare too.

Pat, can you just not with all of THIS. I actually need to be productive today, I can’t just sit here and stare at all that you’re exuding. Also the sun is still out, have you no mercy for the general population?

Pran comes back to his dorm and finds a box of desserts hanging on his door with yet another note. This time saying: “don’t forget to have desserts after your meal” there’s also a second message on the back that stuns him. He doesn’t know what to do and Nanon plays the cute, confused look so adorably here. Aw, kitten, have you never been hit on before?

Later when Pran shows his friends the note, we learn that neighbor guy has invited Pran to come up to the roof to admire the moon with him that night. After some teasing, his friends convince Pran that he should go even if to let the guy down gently. It’s the polite thing to do, pfft. Okay, apparently Pran’s friends are all Casanovas in the art of wooing? The show is really asking us to suspend our disbelief here and I’m just not buying what they’re selling. In fact, I’m demanding they refund my ticket for admission.

The rooftop. The site of so much HAPPENINGS. If they only knew.

That night we see Pran go up to the roof and who should be standing there waiting?? None other than rival frenemy, Pat. Boys, boys, welcome to YOUR ROOF. Lots of things will happen here, get yourselves ready for them.

They learn that they both live in the same dorm but still haven’t figured out their case of mistaken identities. Pran asks if anyone else came to the roof besides Pat and is told he’s been there alone the entire time. A girl walks outside and Pat thinking that she’s his mystery neighbor approaches her commenting on the lovely moon (pfft). Pran overhears and smart boy that he is, puts the pieces together. He’s about to run away but hears Wai’s words in his head about making things clear to the other person and decides to tell Pat that the person he’s been waiting for has already shown up. And it’s him. Awww. This totally counts as their first date, right? I mean, Pat is dressed the part. He brought snacks. And their activity is moon viewing. I don’t care, I’m counting it.

Go back and rewatch Pran’s body language as he asks Pat this question. He’s fidgety, doesn’t know where to put his hands, and can’t make eye contact. Adorable. I almost want Pat to look him straight in the eyes and say: yes, I do, very much so, what do you say to that, Mr. Parakul? Just to see Pran’s flustered reaction. Pran, are you prepared for Pat’s answer? You know he’s capable of volleying back whatever you’re serving, so why are you setting yourself up like this? But also, YASSS Pran, go after eeeet.

You take back these words right now, mister.

Finding out his mystery crush is Pran puts Pat in a mood, so he rallies his friends to drink away his sorrows. Only they wind up at the very bar where Wai waits tables, because of course they do. Korn and the gang decide to mess with Wai to cheer Pat up (what kind of ass backwards logic is this??) and proceeds to do that very thing. It’s both cruel and cringy. Pat waves them off as though to wash his hands of the whole thing, but still laughs at their antics. The entire fandom shakes our head in disappointment, Pat. You’re better than this.

I side-eye Pat so hard here. As much as Wai may be deserving, you simply do not show up at someone’s place of employment and pull this kind of stunt. Just no. (And for the record, this is less in defense of Wai because I would NEVER defend that weasel, but more an admonishment of Pat.) And to make matters worse, one of them records the entire thing on their phone. Oooh, this is so gonna come back to bite you, Pat. Hell hath no fury than a pissed off Pran.

The next day, Pran’s friends are hanging out at his place where Wai is lamenting his frustrations about the night before. Pran consoles him and says he’s gotta be the bigger man here or this feud will never end. Wise words.

Pran receives a text and it’s from Pat letting him know that he and his friends are en route to hang out at his dorm. Uh oh, incoming collision.

Uh, Korn. I think Pran might have some objections to this claim of yours. Also, did you two coordinate outfits today? 

Pran responds that he’s currently chilling with his friends in his dorm and Pat tries to quickly pivot by suggesting to his mates that they relocate to a restaurant. They’re up for it but want to invite along Pat’s mysterious neighbor. They then go banging on Pran’s door, thinking they’re doing Pat a solid by including his crush, while Pat stands there flustered and unsure what to do. The guys inside hear all the racket (how could they not?) and Pran has to physically stop Wai from answering the door.

The catcalling continues outside, and Pat finally has heard enough and tells his friends that the owner of the dorm is a guy. Curly and Moe both turn on Larry (Korn) and berate him for not respecting mystery guy’s privacy when not two-seconds earlier they were all-in on the same behavior. Ugh, these moronic boys. My eyes are currently stuck to the back of my head for how hard they just rolled.

Back in Pran’s room, Wai and co. think they have everything figured out and start teasing Pran about his neighbor flirting with him, trying to get more details out of him. Pran is adorably flustered and changes the subject.

That night after everyone leaves, Pran texts Pat that they need to talk. He’s got a bone to pick with him and it’s not the fun kind. (Yeah, I said what I said.) Pat invites him in, but Pran is visibly hesitant. Pat then heads to Pran’s place and Pran puts a stop to that as well. After this game of back and forth, they end up at Pat’s. 

Pran are you wearing an ice cream cone shirt to subliminally send a message to Pat? You know the boy has a weakness for ice cream. Are you offering yourself up as the ice cream here? If so, we definitely approve.

The boys start bickering when Pran takes offense to Pat implying his life was much more peaceful before Pran came back into it. Pat is adamant that he said no such thing. I can watch these two bicker all day long like the old married couple they already are; when there’s a knock on Pat’s door. It’s his dad! The boys panic and look for a hiding spot for Pran. They first try the closet (ha! not in there boys! How meta of the show to have Pat literally try and shove Pran into the closet?) eventually Pran ends up under Pat’s bed.

Dad’s surprise visit is ominous and Pran hears everything. Dad’s words are a deep stab to the heart because we know he’s the root of this rivalry and to perpetrate that Pran was a little puppy following Pat around is all kinds of wrong especially considering we all know that Pat is the clingy one.

After Ming leaves, Pat is apologetic but before he can get the words out, Pran beats him to it by announcing that he’s moving out.

Oh, not this face! Anything but this face. We can’t take it.

Back in his room, Pran’s face after hearing Pat’s dad guts us because he BELIEVES the words to be true. He’s asking himself have I been obvious this whole time? Does Pat know? He’s convinced that he needs to work harder at repressing his feelings for Pat and we just hurt so much for our boy. He finally put on the watch! Damn you Ming, if I could take you out back and flay you alive, I would. Pran decides that he needs to remove himself from Pat’s proximity and to do that he needs to move out.

Pat powwows with Pa over ice cream. See? What did I say about ice cream being his kryptonite? She’s in her school uniform, so we can only infer that he sought her out at her high school (his former school) because he was so distraught over Pran. Aww, not you too, puppy. These boys are really working our emotions this episode.

Pa correctly points out that if Pat feels he did nothing wrong then why is he here with her? She calls him out on his guilt and his face says it all. She encourages him to clear things up with Pran so they can both avoid a repeat of history. Foreboding words.

We see Pat walking around Pa’s campus and as he crosses the administrative building, he stops and stares, lost in thought. And we’re treated to our only flashback of the episode, BUT it is a very important one.

We learn that back in high school, Pat and Pran were both assigned to put on a holiday concert for their school. But on the day of their concert, they are interrupted midway through their performance when Pran’s parents unexpectedly show up wearing Grinch faces. So much for ‘tis the season to be merry. Pran sees his parents, visibly deflates, immediately looks at Pat, and walks off stage. Pat knows something is wrong but doesn’t fully understand the depth of it until he learns Pran’s mom has withdrawn him from school.

Pat recalls the last time he saw Pran in high school. And the look the boys give each other here is excruciating, more so because we know this will be the last time they’ll see each other for YEARS. And it HURTS. They’re 16-year-old boys who just want to make music together and because of their parents’ drama, can’t. It’s devastatingly unfair. The universe doles out its cruelty so indiscriminately and our two boys are casualties of it. We can feel Pran’s heart break in this moment. And Pat, while still in the dark about his feelings, can sense that this is wrong, and it’s not supposed to be this way. But he’s helpless at what to do so he can only wordlessly stare. Commit each other’s faces into memory boys, it’s going to be a while until your eyes can take each other in again. Sobs.

Remembering that he was partially responsible for Pran’s transfer spurs Pat to stop him from moving out. This is Pat showing his hand. He wants to stop carrying around this debt to Pran for saving Pa and for being the reason that he had to leave school. It’s been a heavy anvil weighing on him, and he doesn’t like this feeling. He thinks moving out in place of Pran will make things square between them and this is such a great callback to young Pat returning the watch to Pran as kids, in which we see the naivete in him. Pran feels wronged, so Pat is doing what he thinks needs to happen to make things right, the ultimate fixer. In this sense, Pat’s worldview is very black and white. And our hearts ache just thinking of when this idealism is going to shatter for him.

And this look here is Pran’s response. He wants Pat to owe him. Pat has taken up so much residence in Pran’s heart and mind, he should demand some form of retribution, right? An unconventional case of an eye for an eye, but instead it’s a heart for a heart. Along the lines of, you’ve taken so much space inside my head and my heart, how about I exact just a tiny bit of the same from you? You owe me, so no, I’m not gonna let you off that easily. If I can’t get you out of my mind, I’m going to make damn sure that I’m lingering in the back of yours. You owe me this much. Pran is so deliciously petty, and I AM HERE FOR IT!!

Flustered Pran is the best Pran, right up there with soft Pran. But this Pran? Wowzers.

The two bicker on who is staying and who’s going and end up tussling with hands going every which way. They manage to end up on the bed in compromising fashion. How lovely and convenient that the room Pran is checking out just so happens to have a huge ass king-sized bed made for two giant-sized boys to roll around on. But also- HOT ALERT!! Sound the Alarm! We are in full body touching territory. Gird your loins fandom. It’s HAPPENING! I repeat, the I’m fully hovering over you, covering your chiseled body with my own soft one while staring deeply into your eyes is here and it’s glorious. If this is only the appetizer, we are all going to cease to exist when the main course is served. Everyone, grab your nearest BBS moot, check their pulse, and gather fortifying measures!

But how much do I love that this all starts with Pat hovering above Pran only for Pran to flip their positions midway through where he’s now on top. The show is telling us that they’re both equals here, no one manhandling or strong-arming the other. That either position works for them. God, I love this show.

Pran loses out on the room while Pat cackles in the background. In Pat’s illogical mind, because he offered to move out in place of Pran, he now considers them even. Pran doesn’t buy any of it and says as much. I’m with Pran. Pat, did all that tickle fighting loosen up some screws? Because the words coming out of your mouth don’t make any sense.

Is this a threat or a promise, because really, I could work with either one.

These boys sure love sharing enclosed spaces but instead of his hand covering Pran’s mouth, this time Pat’s hand has moved to Pran’s stomach (and we’re not even sure where his other hand is). Behold! He’s graduated and we’re all witnesses. You are moving in the right direction, Pat. Just a couple inches lower is the payload. Oh HO! STAHP, you all know you’re thinking it. I said it so that you don’t have to, so don’t give me any of that side-eye. Again, we all have our kinks so no judgement here. Inside the elevator just so happens to be theirs. It must be all the mirrors. Pfft.

Elsewhere, in a jarring scene change, the two dumbass friend groups end up in an all-out rumble resulting in the destruction of the bus stop. So much for the pavilion of peace. And so much for Pat and Pran’s fragile and temporary truce. 

This concludes our second hour with our boys. I have mixed feelings about this episode. Let’s get the bad out of the way first. There’s just too much of the two friend groups being imbeciles. I understand the necessity of having friends that don’t get along, forcing Pat and Pran to intervene and thus interact with each other, but here the friends totally detract from the overall story. They’re idiots and I feel like P’Aof spent too much screen time on them. Time that would have been better served elsewhere.

Also, we learn disappointingly that BBS is not immune to the episode two pitfalls. That is, they put all their eggs into the pilot to grab you from the start and the second episode ends up being lackluster by comparison. With episode one being an amazing giant hook to grab viewers, the transition to this episode, which is mostly all build up, feels comparatively weaker. Perhaps it would feel less so if one were binge-watching, but for those of us who agonized seven long days in between episodes, our hopes were high, our expectations even higher, and EP2 did not rise up to meet us. Never say that I’m unable to criticize my beloved show, I know and acknowledge its shortcomings.

Even so, despite EP2 being in the running for the weakest episode of the series, there was still a lot that did work, and it mostly succeeded in what it set out to do. And that was to inform us of Pat and Pran’s history and how Pran’s mom played a role in their separation. So, on this front, this episode did feel narratively necessary as a bridge from the past to the present. 

I also love that we’re seeing a pattern of obstacles being resolved within the same episode only for new ones to crop up heading into the next one. It makes each episode feel like a standalone yet still connected by an overarching story. In this case, Pran moving out is decidedly no longer an issue as we close out the hour, only for us to now have a destroyed bus stop to contend with. We’re learning that nothing gets dragged out overly long on this show and that’s an unexpected and pleasant surprise. How often have we seen shows drag out one misunderstanding after another across multiple episodes? BBS said nope we’re not doing that. To that we say, bravo show!

Now with all that out of the way, let us dive into the specifics...

In the words of The Clash: Should I stay, Or should I go?

Pran is standing at a precipice here. One that I’m ecstatic the show is addressing this early on. He calls Pat out to talk but when Pat invites him inside his dorm, Pran visibly hesitates. Note that at their homes, Pat has always been the one to sneak into Pran’s room, never the other way around. 

Pran is conscious of the wall he’s built between himself and Pat, never straying over that line. Where Pat is constantly scaling that wall to get to him (foreshadowing), Pran has always stayed on his side where it’s familiar and safe and things are on his playing field. Where he knows the rules of the game and how it’s played. So, for Pat to openly invite Pran into his space here makes him pause. Likewise, when Pat sees his hesitation and moves to go to Pran’s room instead, Pran stops him. You’d think this is strange since Pran allows Pat into his room at home so why not here at uni?

At home Pran looks, acts, and behaves as Dissaya’s obedient and only son. At university he has the chance to take a breather and be himself, away from expectations, away from constantly seeking perfection, to simply be Pran and not live up to someone else’s version of him. And he’s not sure yet where Pat fits into all of that. If Pat is part of his past, what does letting him into his present mean for his future? Pran’s overthinking nature equates allowing Pat into this part of his world as surrendering a hard-won piece of himself. If he lets Pat in, and should Pat decide that he doesn’t want to stay, then where does that leave Pran? But you ask, he doesn’t care if Wai and his other friends are in his space, why not Pat? To which I answer very simply, they’re not Pat.

In this sense, Pran’s dorm room not only represents his inner sanctum, but it quite metaphorically houses his heart as well. If he opens his door to Pat and lets him in, what will be left of him if Pat carelessly tramples it? Pran is protecting himself here and sees being in Pat’s space as the safer choice. At least there he can leave of his own volition and not because he was discarded or left behind. Oh, Pran.

The show has always been very precise with its flashbacks and episode two continues that trend. We are given only one, but boy is it a knockout. This flashback reveals so much of Pran’s family dynamic. Pran’s mom is intense, his dad defers to her, and Pran is left being the dutiful and obedient son. Which means any little bit of happiness that Pran allows himself is fleeting and temporary. Pat, music, his guitar all things he loves but cannot have. 

The flashback also sets up the stakes for our boys. Earlier we had Ming show up at Pat’s to check that his son was falling in line with his expectations and now this flashback shows us Pran’s side. His mom feeling it necessary to separate the boys because of a musical performance seems extreme, but it does show us the consequences of Pran allowing Pat to get close. It’s very interesting that P’Aof chose to reveal all this from Pat’s point of view. I commend the decision because the easier route would have been to show us this from Pran’s perspective. But P’Aof doesn’t go for easy here, he goes for impact. And it pays dividends because we now know that Pat was also affected by their separation.

This episode plays up the hijinks as it tries to cement itself in the romcom category, except fans know that we’re being lulled into a false sense of security especially in the first half. It’s light! It’s funny! Bad things never happen here! We won’t be made to be clowns in your circus, P’Aof! We’re pretty adept at doing that ourselves without your help, sir.

):):):):):):):)

And this, friends, wraps up my deconstruction of BBS EP2. I appreciate that you stuck around to relive episode two with me. Next up in EP3, our boys spend quality time together and a long-kept guitar makes its presence known. Stay tuned!

**ETA: The recap for EP3 is now up!

[projectjasper]

Archer!! Oh gods.. how are you doing after that Rollercoaster?

I can honestly say that I haven't watched anything so packed with forbidden emotions in quite some time.

Pat's whole cycle of "oh shit, he may be the person, but so not sure" was so so so much. The whole testing the waters he did, the way he burst after it. The way he completely lost it when he go drunk... I don't even think he was that drunk. But it was more like enough to actually take a step. To accept what he feels, what he's been feeling for some time. And then there was that "No" which was so small. So vulnerable, so open. That single line is taking my breath away. The tone with which Ohm delivered it. It was just too much.

I gotta stop crying. The kiss was glorious, yeah, but the build up takes the ovations for me.

you know what, dear? i am actually feeling really fucking happy after this episode. like yes, of course i am full of all sorts of emotions and i feel like i was turned inside out, but despite the fact that this episode wasn't really fluffy and had a bittersweet ending, i feel very happy.

and i am also so proud of pat. my boy was so incredible this episode, gods. he was so brave and strong, but he also managed to be as gentle as he could possibly be in that situation. the way he made sure that's definitely what he feels, and the way he went ahead with this new development like a champ. honestly, i had no doubt that's what would happen - that boy wears his heart on his fucking sleeve, but still!!! and then the fight? he yearns so much to be with pran in a way he was never allowed to. and he wants pran to want him in the same way. to admit it. that there's something there. and not just something, what's between them is fucking huge, they are in love for gods' sakes! the whole speech before the kiss, where he himself slowly realizes how long these feelings have been brewing without him realizing. holy fucking shit.

this was truly ohm's episode, and he showed exactly why he is a fantastic actor. every little look, every word, every movement, OHM PAWAT IS A GOD OF ACTING.

[aylinaliens]

The Not So Scary Haunting of Sarawat Guntithanon— Chapter 1

Fandom: 2Gether

Pairings: Sarawat/Tine

Summary: Sarawat Gay Panics 24/7 over his new roommate (who, by the way, might be a ghost, which is weird on so many levels but whatever, if a man wants to thirst over the supernatural being haunting his apartment so be it!)

Word Count: 1621

Notes: i'm not even excited for 2gether the movie yet here i am, posting another sarawatine fic. basically our boy Sarawat gay panics every single minute of every single day because the ghost who is haunting his apartment is pretty. that's it. that's the plot. just sarawatine being dumb, mutually pining idiots.

Read the first chapter on Ao3 or down below!

+

How was it possible that a disembodied voice could sound so... god damn enticing and lovely? At first, Sarawat found himself pressing his body deeper into his bed but after getting over to his initial shock and fear he allowed himself sometime to appreciate the sound of it. Although his heart was in his throat, Sarawat could not deny the wave of comfort that filled his veins, from his finger to his toes warm spread through his body.

Which was weird—and frankly crazy. Ghosts can possess people, right? Or kill them? Sarawat wished he paid more attention to all the horror movies Man and Boss dragged him to because maybe then he wouldn’t be laying in bed, already whipped, ready to drop down on knee. Hand in marriage sir, please give me your hand in marriage.

He should be terrified of this figure, not lowkey turned on.

Curse Sarawat and his inability to function around attractive boys. Curse this motherfucking hot as heck ghost and his stupid dimples.

Sarawat awakes to a blurry and translucent figure hovering mere inches from his face.

The next day he swears to Man and Boss that the reason he remains frozen was because of fear and not because he was having a full on gay panic attack... over a ghost. That’s what this person was, right? A ghost? He was a rationale adult but he had enough brain cells to connect all the dots.

Sarawat sucks in a deep inhale of breath, allowing his eyes to burn every line, curve, and dip of this mysterious figure's face.

The dim light of his bedroom combined with the near translucent nature of the figure meant that Sarawat never was able to get a clear idea of what this ghost looked like. Just the glimpses he did get left his throat dry and heart pounding rapidly.

The figure had a closed mouth smile etched across his features, all soft pink lips and crinkly eyes and dimples. Sarawat briefly thought of leaning forward to press his fingertips against those pink lips just to see if they were as soft as they looked. But then he realized that was insane and weird so instead he just beat that thought away with a stick. Gay thoughts: be gone! Don’t you dare become a simp over a motherfucking ghost.

The bottom half of his face was crystal clear which was both a blessing and curse while his top half looked as if it was about to flicker away at any moment. Sarawat was positive that this was abnormal, but then again this was his first encounter with a ghost so maybe it was, in fact, normal? It’s not as if he was given a manual or anything.

He couldn’t quite tell what shade of brown this mysterious figures eyes but he allowed his brain to imagine that it was probably vivid, just like the rest of his face. He was debating on the actual shade when he a disembodied voice spoke.

“Hello.”

How was it possible that a disembodied voice could sound so... god damn enticing and lovely? At first, Sarawat found himself pressing his body deeper into his bed but after getting over to his initial shock and fear he allowed himself sometime to appreciate the sound of it. Although his heart was in his throat, Sarawat could not deny the wave of comfort that filled his veins, from his finger to his toes warm spread through his body.

Which was weird—and frankly crazy. Ghosts can possess people, right? Or kill them? Sarawat wished he paid more attention to all the horror movies Man and Boss dragged him to because maybe then he wouldn’t be laying in bed, already whipped, ready to drop down on knee. Hand in marriage sir, please give me your hand in marriage.

He should be terrified of this figure, not lowkey turned on.

Curse Sarawat and his inability to function around attractive boys. Curse this motherfucking hot as heck ghost and his stupid dimples.

Sarawat was like ninety percent sure of his sexual identity but now he was having a crisis about the fact he was possibly crushing on a whole new species. Needless to say he was losing his mind!

He could just imagine the headline of the video Man would inevitably make him sit down to film and post on their jointed YouTube channel.

STORYTIME: I ALMOST MADE OUT WITH THE GHOST THAT'S HAUNTING MY APARTMENT!

Sarawat was positive that his best friend would insert various memes and jokes throughout his very honest and real existential-slash-moral-slash- philosophical crisis Sarawat was having.

It would probably rake in a lot of views but Sarawat did not want to be known as That One Guy Who Simped Over A Ghost for the rest of his life.

He was almost positive that if he told his friends the trust extent of how he felt, they would want to change their channel from music and vlogs to something more akin to Buzzfeed Unsolved.

They would buy a spirit box and Ouija board online and force Sarawat to try to communicate because of course they fucking would, those absolute menaces.

He could already see Boss glancing around like a conspiracy theorist, seriously asking the ghost are you DTF (that means down to fornicate in case you need clarification), Mr. Ghost? Just give us a sign, any sign. Man would most definitely feed into this or make the situation even worse.

Which is why he was not going to reveal what happened tonight. He would just play off as sleep paralysis. Yeah. That is the best way to prevent his best friends from blowing this situation out of proportion.

Sarawat wanted to say something but the words died in his throat. What would he even say? Hello. Please smash your face against mine! Uh, no way in hell. Maybe it was a good thing that he had trouble forming words right now. It would save him a lot of embarrassment.

The figure leaned down closer and— fuck fuck fuck gay thoughts go away— peering curiously down at Sarawat. “He definitely can see me so why isn’t he saying anything?”

Because you can’t verbally keysmash in real life you beautiful and vaguely threatening supernatural being.

The figure hummed, deep in thought, before leaning back (thank goodness) only to do something that made Sarawat let out a very unflattering shriek in surprise. Well there goes his reputation. He didn’t have one in the first place to begin with, especially not with this ghost, but still. There it goes.

Ghosts were unable to touch people right? Right? So why did a ghost...just touch him?

Sarawat raked his brain trying to remember the drama he watched a few months back with his brother (it was Phukong unsubtle way of being like, hey, bro, I like boys but I’m still scared of coming out so let’s just both pretend like I didn’t just cry at the scene where Ohm Pawat’s character comes out to his mother, I swear I’m emotional because of the acting not because I can relate to it).

Sarawat was positive that the ghost in that drama couldn’t actually touch anyone. He was like ninety-six percent sure that every time he tried his body would just go straight through the other characters.

He forgot how it was possible that the ghost could touch, and kiss, the human, though. He should have paid more attention but hey, he was also trying to think of an inconspicuous way to let it slip that he was also gay. Great (disaster gays) apparently think a lot alike.

Anyways, the figure poked his chest and Sarawat almost pissed his pants in shock. Clearly the ghost was just as surprised that he could actually touch Sarawat because he froze, making Sarawat happy that he decided to wear a shirt to bed tonight.

He assumed that the ghost must have thought he was dreaming to (wait can ghost dream?) so just to make sure he poked Sarawat three more times in the same spot and yup—Sarawat felt it. He felt it clear as day.

“Oh.” The figure tilted his head to the side. “This is weird. I shouldn’t be able to do that.”

Yeah, obviously.

Sarawat opened his mouth to finally speak (he swore he was going to play it cool and be all like: hi! i promise i’m not having gay thoughts right now!) but before he could a loud crash in the next room made him jolt in surprise.

After being rendered motionless for a few minutes, Sarawat finally gained control of his own body. He threw himself upright into a sitting position but in the process of doing so he accidentally slammed his forehead against the figure whose face was technically still in close proximity.

Cursing, Sarawat clutched his head as pain made white spots cloud his vision. “ Fuck .”

From next to him the figure cursed too. “ Shit.”

Eventually the pain subsided into a dull ache, allowing Sarawat to glance over at the boy—ghost, supernatural being, angel, whatever—next to him.

The top half of his face was no longer translucent anymore.

In fact, he wasn’t translucent at all.

Crimson blood began to trickle out from his nose, causing Sarawat to gape in horror.

Not because the image was a terrifying one. I mean, yeah, it was a bit weird but it has been established that Sarawat, that certifiable himbo, was in a constant state of ‘mark me down as scared and horny’ tonight, but because a ghost...was bleeding. From a wound that Sarawat gave him. Was that like, scientifically possible? Note to self: send a text to Earn so that she can ask her girlfriend about it.

Also? Sarawat was finally able to label the ghost's eyes as being a cross between honey and caramel. Obviously, his poor gay started chanting oh oh oh oh oh because yeah, read above, Sarawat Guntithanon? Himbo, Simp, Dumbass Extraordinaire. Either way he was a mess.

The possible brain injury and the shock of the entire night finally caught up to Sarawat, making his stomach churn with nausea and vision become blurry.

Without meaning to, Sarawat fainted—not even elegantly like one of those heroines in a romance novel but like a dead, fucking fish, limbs flopping every which way—right into the arms of the mysterious figure he was still dying ( yikes bad choice of words) to know the name of.

The last thing he registered before completely blacking out was that someone was cradling him to their chest, rambling away.

“Oh my god. Did I just kill him? No. No way. He’s still breathing. Shit. Sarawat! Hey, you saraleo, wake up!”

[jacksjoke]

yo! i've been following your tumblr mostly just for cql because aha :^) you know how it is :^) but it's left a void in my chest. i know you rb a lot of content for other shows, so i figured i'd ask you for some recs (and the best places to watch them uwu)!! thanks so much i'd die for u

Hello anon!! I totally get you 💀 I’m gonna assume that you want me to rec BLs, so I’ll tell you only the ones that I’ve liked best and why, where I watched them, and possible trigger warnings as well for you :)

So first up is my favorite: Theory of Love

Who stars in it: Off Jumpol (as Kai) and Gun Atthaphan (as Third), aka OffGun, aka icons and best friends who we stan to this very day

Why I recommend: I adore this show for so many reasons but overall the vibe is just so good dfhkhkhj It references like a trillion rom-coms and I won’t spoil it but there is a literal montage of some classic rom-com scenes done by the main characters that is just so fucking hysterical, I cry every time. There’s also a compilation here of movie posters that they recreated to imitate some classic rom-coms as well, which made me DIE from emotions I tell you what. This show is just so funny and makes fun of itself with characters that you genuinely grow to adore. Kai is a chaotic dumb of ass bisexual and we love him in this house (as infuriating as he can be lmfao). It’s so rewatchable GOD 10/10 would recommend.

Warnings: There is no sexual abuse in the show of any kind, except for one scene that is just a kiss and very mild, so I think you’d be all good there. :)

Where to watch: I watched it on YouTube! Here’s the link to episode one part one

History3: Trapped

Who stars in it: Jake Hsu (plays Shao Fei) and Chris Wu (plays Tang Yi), aka weirdos who can’t stop laughing while filming and being dumb in general and I love that for them and me

Why I recommend: I loved it. The main couple is adorable with so much chemistry and I will be totally honest, they remind me SO MUCH of Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian. Like on the rewatch I just did of this show, I couldn’t believe the similarities the character Shao Fei has to Wei Wuxian and his counterpart Tang Yi has to Lan Wangji. Like. When I tell you I was shook the house, I mean it. But the side couple is ALSO iconic the house and the CUTEST like if you don’t want to adopt Zhao Zi and also officiate his wedding by the show’s end, I’d be shocked dfhhkghdjkl All in all, it’s such a funny show with very tender, heartfelt moments that are to die for. This show has it all: plot twists, cops falling in love with mobsters and vice versa, a character whose goal in life is to just eat as much good food as possible… amazing.

Warnings: The show has fighting and violence but seeing as you watched The Untamed, I’m assuming you’re okay with it lol There is an instance where one character tries to rape one of the leads by drugging him, so keep an eye out for that, but I think it will be obvious because he starts to pass out and you will know whether you feel you have to skip the scene or not. He isn’t undressed, it isn’t anything remotely graphic, but he is groped by the asshole I won’t name man fuck that guy but that’s all!

Where to watch: I watched it on newasiantv, link to ep1 here

Dark Blue Kiss

Who stars in it: Fluke Gawin Caskey (Mork) and Podd Suphakorn (Sun) aka two of the most gorgeous and sweet dudes alive fdhgldfhgdk AND BL vets, New Thitipoom (Kao) and Tay Tawan (Pete)

First off: dshhgdksj If you haven’t seen Kiss Me Again or Kiss the Series you might be a little confused. Dark Blue Kiss is sort-of-a-continuation-but-not-really of those other two series, and it sort of adds to the experience if you have seen them. If you want to, just watch Kiss Me Again and I think you’ll be okay honestly; it’s just because you might want context of the characters (Pete and Kao, their friends etc.) and their relationships to one another going into Dark Blue Kiss.

Why I recommend: NOW two of the leads, Sun and Mork, have one of The Best relationships in any BL I’ve ever seen because they have real conversations and have real conflict and issues that they work to get through. Rain (Sun’s younger bro and Mork’s bestie) is an absolute delight and their story arc throughout the show is so iconic we just have to stan. I won’t get into Kao and Pete fhhkhdj because I just have Opinions on fucking w characters/relationships for the sake of drama and that’s what I think this series did to them, unnecessarily ahem But otherwise it’s funny and real and again if you dont literally love Mork and Rain and Sun by the end of it did you even watch the same show???

Warnings: There is a brief scene where one character tries to get w another who is like get tf AWAY weirdo lmfao but there is no actual abuse bc they are stopped well in time to avoid it

Where to watch: I watched Dark Blue Kiss on newasiantv as well because the episodes on YouTube tended to not get subbed as quickly as I wanted which you will understand if you watch this lmao. Here is the link to episode one of Kiss Me Again as well as a link to episode one of Kiss the Series if you feel like watchin those two beforehand

Tharntype the Series

Who stars in it: Gulf Kanawut (Type) and Mew Suppasit (Tharn) aka those two guys who you might see do a shit ton of fanservice that I diligently ignore because I hate fanservice lol This show exists in the same universe as another BL that I am reluctant to put on here lol but will get into later on.

Why I recommend: BEFORE YALL FLAY ME ALIVE djkhgldhgfdjhhkjd OKAY LISTEN genuinely, on a very real level, I FULLY understand why a lot of people here refused to watch this show or couldn’t finish it. You’re totally valid and legit I almost stopped after ten minutes because I was like here we go AGAIN. However! I was so drawn in by the acting that I wanted to give it a chance, and I’m SO GLAD that I did. Gulf and Mew, as well as Mild (who plays Techno) and Kaownah (who plays Lhong) and everyone else who acts in this show, is incredible and their chemistry is insane. I would say it’s some of the best chemistry and acting I’ve seen, BL or otherwise. You get angry at the two main characters interchangeably and I truly feel that that makes it real, you know what I mean? There is no oh he’s in the right, fuck that other guy 100% for either of them. They are both real, flawed men who grow so immensely throughout this series where by the end you’re so proud of their development and the love they find for themselves and in each other??? Because it doesn’t feel like we’ll get there, but they DO. And it’s BEAUTIFUL. We’re getting a second season, which to me is always a tad worrisome because I do think it ended very well and if they fuck with everything (cough KaoPete) just to fuck with it and stir the pot I’m gonna be Upset. But for now, it’s amazing and speaks on topics that aren’t ever addressed. It’s an unfortunate reality in BL that the way so many relationships begin is through sketchy-consensual (drunk, coerced) or flat out like non consensual sexual shit, and this show dives into the aftermath of sexual abuse, the mental impact that has on a person, and how damaging it can be if left unattended. I would give it a chance. I really do think it’s a well done series. Oh and Techno is so relatable and the only one with a brain cell in this show half the time jkdfhhdlkj

Warnings: Like I said, this show is not an easy watch at times. Very often, in fact, it can be difficult. There is homophobic language, two of the characters (I dont want to spoil everything) have been raped in the past, one as a child (which is NOT GRAPHICALLY SHOWN, don’t worry) and the other as a teenager/young adult, which is sort of shown but not in too much detail. Another character in present day “does stuff” to another that isn’t totally consensual, more than once (which is probably my biggest problem with the show and the one thing I really can’t excuse because like bro I don’t care how big your crush is, don’t be an asshole, point blank), but every other sexual thing in the show is consensual and very much wanted

Where to watch: Here is episode one on newasiantv if you want to give this a shot :)

He’s Coming to Me

Who stars in it: Singto Prachaya (Mes) and Ohm Pawat (Thun) aka just two adorable boys

Why I recommend: This show definitely has one of the more unique plots among BLs. I won’t spoil it, and as with all of these I recommend going in without looking up plots because like I know for me movie trailers etc just tell me everything and there doesn’t seem to be a point in watching the movie if I know so much beforehand. The main characters are cute together, there are funny moments and moments that make you cry. And it’s a happy ending, which we love to see :)

Warnings: There is a major character death, no blood though, and you will understand in context that it isn’t as bad as it seems right now lol Nothing that isn’t consensual, which is a miracle in these shows. Overall wholesome content. There is like a weird storyline with one of the character’s moms which was Different to say the least dfjhdflhgkjf but it didn’t ruin the show for me or anything

Where to watch: newasiantv seems to be my go-to lmao

3 Will Be Free

Who stars in it: Joss Way-Ar (Neo), Mild Lapassalan (Miw), and Tay Tawan (Shin). If you watch Dark Blue Kiss or any of those before this, you will recognize Tay and Mild as Pete and Sandee (just friends in those shows). Joss is just such a funny, sweet guy and so is Tay Lowkey biased for them and I honestly often favor TayJoss’ chemistry over TayNew, which I think is controversial lmfaoo but it has to be said lol and obviously Mild is a badass actress and talent so having her here is amazing

Why I recommend: So this is the only BL thus far to feature a polyamorous relationship, which is sort of crazy but I’m so happy it’s been done at least once now. The three have such amazing chemistry and you really grow to care for each of them as individuals as well. They’re just really awesome and I adore them and miss them every day fdjghfdglhkjd There’s also a trans actress!! :D

Warnings: There is quite a bit of gun violence bc one of the character’s father’s is a mob boss. Two side characters are killed, one much further into the show so it hurts even MORE, and one of the other side characters therefore to me doesn’t receive the ending they deserve; it was very messy and I think they deserved better. A woman is in an abusive marriage to a man, which sucked and I skipped a lot of it even though it wasn’t necessarily super violent. I just don’t like that stuff ://

Where to watch: Surprise surprise, newasiantv

Until We Meet Again

Who stars in it: Fluke Natouch (Pharm) and Ohm Thitiwat (Dean), Earth Katsamonnat (Intouch) and Nine Noppakao (Korn). Fluke and Earth invented being friends like……they are so fucking cute and they are both actually queer (have been in public relationships with men) which is always so rare to see and really great :)

Why I recommend: Side couple TeamWin is absolutely iconic. I adore them with my whole body so if for nothing else, watch it for them LMAO But for real InKorn is such a cute couple and PharmDean has a very nice relationship too; they talk about consent and have healthy communication which is so refreshing lmao

Warnings: The show does open with a double suicide by gunshot. I won’t say who, but it is in there. The two main characters have flashbacks/PTSD/nightmares (one worse than the other) which you will understand in context if you watch, but it’s definitely worth the watch

Where to watch: This show is currently airing and I watch it on YouTube; here’s the link to episode one part one

Love By Chance

Who stars in it: Perth Tanapon (Ae) and Saint Suppapong (Pete), Mean Phiravich (Tin) and Plan Rathavit (Can). This is the show that is in the same universe as Tharntype, but the actors who play Techno, Tharn, and Type are different actors in this show than from Tharntype. It’s confusing and messy lol

Warning: I’m putting this before the why I like it because I think it’s necessary for this one. I hesitate to even put LBC on here because there is so much of this show that just makes me uncomfortable. When I first watched this show, the second BL I had ever watched, I had no knowledge of BLs, the actors, or really anything to do with any of this world. So, having grown up with film/tv life where every actor is 27 playing 17, it didn’t occur to me that the actor playing 18 would in fact be 17 instead. Perth was I think 17 or possibly 18 while filming (I don’t know exact dates), which includes sexual scenes that I didn’t even feel comfortable watching BEFORE I knew his age, let alone trying to rewatch the series while knowing about it. I am 20, and was 19 last year when I watched this, so it really skeeves me out to watch those kinds of scenes (BL or otherwise) if actors or actresses aren’t at least 18 or 19. It seems weird because I’m 20 and a queer girl, not like a 50 year old pedophile or something like that, but for my own comfort I tend to skip the more explicit stuff. On my first watch, I skipped the Tharntype, TumTar, and Techno storyline because frankly I didn’t care. Going on to watch Tharntype the Series, I was even happier to have skipped so that I didn’t have to go in with a preconceived idea of the characters from having watched LBC. One of the characters in this version of events is raped or coerced into sex; I don’t even know the details because I just couldn’t be bothered to give it a chance. I firmly believe you can watch this show without watching any of their storylines (and skipping over the more sexual stuff, if you feel you have to), which I know sucks to say bc the actors are all good and I like their other work and them as people, but I just couldn’t do it. It is of course up to you.

Why I recommend: Basically I recommend this just for TinCan lmao and on the chance that you do decide to watch Tharntype, it pays at the end to have a knowledge of the LBC characters because again they are in the same universe and it won’t be as cool if you don’t get it right away like WHAT!!! You know haha so yeah There is going to be a season two dropped sometime this year, focused I believe on TinCan, so I’m literally so fucking excited. Dreams are coming true

Where to watch: I found this show on both Dailymotion and newasiantv

Hey again anon it’s been a minute dfhlhghjd I’m sure this is way longer than you thought and probably don’t want HA but I wanted to be as thorough as possible for you and anyone else who might be new here you feel So some shows I didn’t get into that I watched include Great Men Academy, Together With Me, 2Moons and 2Moons2, Love Sick, ’Cause You’re My Boy (aka My Tee), History3: Make Our Days Count, SOTUS the Series, History2: Crossing the Line, (currently airing) Why R U?, and 2gether.

If you get through the ones I talked about above and want me to talk about these other ones, I’ll do that too!! I hope this helps you and others :D ✌️ ✌️

[waitmyturtles]

Turtles Catches Up With Old GMMTV: The Bad Buddy Rewatch Edition, Part 4 -- Thoughts on Pran Leaving For Singapore

[What’s going on here? After joining Tumblr and discovering Thai BLs through KinnPorsche in 2022, I began watching GMMTV’s new offerings -- and realized that I had a lot of history to catch up on, to appreciate the more recent works that I was delving into. From tropes to BL frameworks, what we’re watching now hails from somewhere, and I’m learning about Thai BL's history through what I’m calling the Old GMMTV Challenge (OGMMTVC). Starting with recommendations from @absolutebl on their post regarding how GMMTV is correcting for its mistakes with its shows today, I’ve made an expansive list to get me through a condensed history of essential/classic/significant Thai BLs produced by GMMTV and many other BL studios. My watchlist, pasted below, lists what I’ve watched and what’s upcoming, along with the reviews I’ve written so far. Today, I offer the last installment of the BBS OGMMTVC Meta Series -- a meditation on Pran's readiness to move to Singapore.]

Links to the BBS OGMMTVC Meta Series are here: part 1, part 2, part 3a, part 3b, and part 4

WE ARE AT THE HOME STRETCH, FAM! If you've been reading along on this journey of the Bad Buddy OGMMTVC Meta Series, why, I thank you so much! This has been one of the most fulfilling labors of writing love that I've ever undertaken. Bad Buddy means so much to me and to so many of us, and I've spent a lot of time, and expended QUITE the word count, to honor this show in all the facets that I've thought about it.

I wanted to take some time, at the end of this meta series, to talk about some of the facets that I've thought of, and that I've engaged others in discussion about, regarding Pran leaving for Singapore for two years. Let me explain why.

When Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy (x A Tale of Thousand Stars) came out this past June, I felt that us as a fandom might have been looking for clues, some kind of reckoning, for the separation that occurred at the end of the Bad Buddy series. We were so overwhelmed as a fandom with a lot:

the impending end of this entire franchise that we love

the impending end of the OhmNanon ship, knowing that Ohm Pawat does not repeat screen partners, and that Nanon Korapat was not happy doing shipping fan service, and

the tie-ins with A Tale of Thousand Stars and Pha Pun Dao, and wondering how EarthMix would get involved with the ending of BBS. (I myself was overwhelmed with OhmEarth, cough cough, and I stay WONDERING when GMMTV is going to DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS, anyway.)

It was a lot to take in. I know that, for myself, I was definitely looking for clues regarding Pran's emotional readiness to take off for two years to work in Singapore -- and to understand the health of Pran's and Pat's relationship, as they neared graduation, to get to that place of that kind of huge decision.

In this piece, I'm going to put together a lot of the theories and themes I've looked over in my previous pieces, to understand that state of readiness. I mentioned in part two of this series, a meditation on pain, trust, and separation in some Asian dramas, the obvious fact about Pran's departure, one that he literally says himself: the opportunity to make a better career move and better money made the decision to move overseas a clear one. I slapped my forehead in recognition of this when I talked to @recentadultburnout about this, regarding the Thai/Asian viewpoint of this decision -- and I talked about the very common paradigm of economic separations from loved ones from many Asian countries, to go abroad to seek out better salaries and opportunities.

However, I think a kind of nostalgia for Pran and Pat permeated the fandom during Our Skyy 2 anyway, despite that reality. And like I said earlier: what I was looking for during the Our Skyy 2 run were signs of readiness from Pran specifically, to indicate his emotional movement towards making this decision.

My dear fellow BBS stan (I'd say we're almost colleagues now, HA!) @telomeke has waxed beautifully on how Pran attempts to keep his spaces, his inner sanctuary, safe from the traumas that he unwillingly experiences external to his body. The traumas of the various separations he experiences from Pat, the pressures to comport to the demands and boundaries that are set to him by others, namely Dissaya and Wai, and so on.

As I wrote in part 2 of this series: even before the 10th grade separation of Pat and Pran, Pran was already experiencing what I called a "theoretical separation" from Pat, a public separation that did not allow the two boys to even pretend to be friends at school. Then the 10th grade Christmas concert occurs, and Pran is -- poof, gone.

I unwound in part two of this series that that separation was quite remarkable, not just for Pat, who experienced a huge reaction to that separation ("I was so depressingly lonely"), but for Pran, who, I posit, was essentially abandoned by his mother (that's a little harsh, but I'm a mom, too, so I feel this emotionally and structurally) to go to boarding school, out of Dissaya's fear that her son would be hurt by Pat and the Jindapats, the way that she was when she was a teenager. In other words, Dissaya would have rather had Pran away from her, physically, to continue the enmity between the Jindapats and the Siridechawats, than to risk Pran continuing to be physically close to Pat.

In all other words: separation from loved ones, in the life of Pran, had hitherto been associated with trauma. Even regarding the final "theoretical separation" that I posit Pran and Pat having at the end of the series -- where they must pretend to be broken up in order to save the sanctity of their relationship -- that compromise, that sacrifice is certainly associated with the intergenerational trauma that the Jindapats and Siridechawats have levied unto their children. And because of Asian cultural norms, such as saving face, obedience, and filial loyalty to one's family, Pat and Pran will not play an individualistic game of declaring their relationship publicly. Instead, they'll pretend to be broken up, with Pat asking, years later, when he'll ever be able to walk through Pran's front door.

That's a LOT! It's a lot.

So, how do we get from the guys being "theoretically separated," to being actually separated, for two years? There are two ways that I want to look at the actual separation: from the perspective of Pran's emotional readiness, and from a lens that I didn't think of that @telomeke proposed, regarding Dissaya's lost future as a university student.

I stand from the perspective that Our Skyy 2, both for Bad Buddy and for A Tale of Thousand Stars, is underrated. It was full of comedy and improvisation, but after my recent rewatches -- Our Skyy 2 also contained some of the most beautiful emotional closures to on-screen relationships that I've seen. The conclusions to both PatPran and PhuphaTian were so lovely.

"I can't live without him."

"I can't live without you." "Neither can I."

"If anything happens to you -- how can I live?"

The phrase "I can't live without you" is the key to the door opening to Pran's ultimate independence. Before then, Pran still felt insecure enough (which we learn about through his conversation with Phupha) to feel guilty about the previous ways in which he was engaging with his partner, Pat.

In light of that insecurity, and with the confirmations of such permanence -- I can't live without you, I will live forever with you, I can't survive without you -- that gives a person like Pran a foundation, a sense of security.

It sounds so simple, but remember that Pran has not had any kind of sense of security up until the point of his relationship with Pat. Again, even his mother separated herself from her son for her own fear, reputation, and enmity.

Pat's loving confirmation opens the door for Pran to.... finally be himself. If Pat will never leave Pran, Pran can find safety -- maybe even external to his inner sanctuary in which he's found his own internal peace up until the moment that they graduate -- to find himself, through new means, like his burgeoning career.

I love the way that Our Skyy 2 ended in particular around the ongoing commentary between Pran and Pat that Pat was still under the assumption that without Pat, Pran "can't do anything." In fact, when Pat first admits that he "can't live without" Pran, he notes that he's the fool in that equation -- that he's the one who can't function without his partner in Pran. With Pat's solid love for Pran, and with that admission, Pat himself can also let go of his motif of enmeshment and dependence that he assumes Pran has towards Pat -- and allow Pran to be his own holistic self, away from the demands of dependent people like Pat and Dissaya.

In a quick conversation I had with @chickenstrangers a couple of months ago, we actually noted that Pran happens to like having strongminded people around him, people who set boundaries around him and for him -- people like Dissaya, like Wai, and even like Pat, with Pat's jingle of "you can't do this without me" rattling through Pran's head as Pran first boards the bus to Pha Pun Dao. I would posit that that for so long, other people did the work for Pran of setting those external -- and even many of those internal -- boundaries that Pran operated by, that Pran then, without the safety of that inner sanctuary, could often fall into confusion or maybe even a little stress-induced dissociation, during times in which he didn't know how to solve problems, like fixing the dilapidated bus station early in the Bad Buddy series.

But with Pat's own internal change and admission in Pha Pun Dao -- Pran himself then gets to change within far more safe boundaries, the boundaries of his relationship, and he's literally able to fly, both emotionally and professionally.

Besides the internal relationship dynamics between Pran and Pat giving Pran the emotional safety to be able to leave Thailand, my dear BBS compadre, @telomeke, offered another theory regarding Dissaya that I thought was incredibly apt. We know that Dissaya's had almost total control over Pran's physical being for his entire life. How could she let Pran, her only baby boy, go so far away from her?

Again, we know that she sent him to boarding school, away from her, to get him away from Pat. But Pran going to Singapore wasn't about getting away from Pat. At least on paper, for her sake -- he's no longer with Pat, so she doesn't have the Jindapats to worry about in Pran's life anymore.

What @telomeke offers is a read that Dissaya herself could live vicariously through Pran's professional successes -- because her own professional success was denied to her, through Pat's father, Ming. From @telomeke:

...Pran, in going to Singapore, is actually, in a way, living out Dissaya's dream, because she was robbed of a professional future in a career outside the home, so in making a success of himself in his chosen career, he is, in a sense, allowing Dissaya to live her dream thru her baby boy. She didn't stop him from going to Singapore, and I think this is partly why; Pran's success will be hers too[.]

What this theory offers -- along with Pat's own safety and sanctity through Pat's confirmation of permanent love -- is Pran's safety through Dissaya. Dissaya gave Pran up once (arguably, she gave him up a bunch of times). But if Pran is living out a professional dream that was dashed for Dissaya -- and Dissaya supports Pran living out that professional dream? Pran gets double confirmation, from the two people he is the closest with, that he'll be safe to live out a dream of his own, one that belongs only to him, that the people who love him want to see him invest in.

And we see Pran having great success in Singapore. It worked. On the flip side, we see Pat's pain at the separation all throughout the first half of episode 12. We see Pat viscerally missing Pran, and we see other shades of Pat's pain as well (cc @shortpplfedup), especially in the resulting years of conflict with his father after he comes out to Ming with Pran. But with separation will come pain, and it's on a couple, a couple as well-balanced as Pran and Pat, to deal with that and mitigate that pain through their eventual and forever love, the love that was truly confirmed in Our Skyy 2.

Whew. I drop my pen in pure pleasure at turning over this incredible television series through all the lenses that I've been obsessing over, not just for the past two months during my rewatches and my writing, but since this past January, when I first watched this incredible series. I've been so thrilled to demarcate BBS like this on its two-year anniversary, and again, I very much want to thank @telomeke, @grapejuicegay, @recentadultburnout, @neuroticbookworm, and @lurkingshan for discussions on Asian reads on BBS; and @chickenstrangers and @ranchthoughts for side DMs about the wonders of this show. With the closer of this mini meta series, I'll chug along on the final stretch of the OGMMTVC -- but I am tremendously happy to have given Bad Buddy all the space it deserves on this syllabus as a truly remarkable, influential, and groundbreaking show of its time.

(Tagging @dribs-and-drabbles, @solitaryandwandering, and @wen-kexing-apologist by request!)

[ALLLLLLLLLRIGHT! Back to the GRIND, fam! So right now, I have the OGMMTVC on pause as I catch up with Tanachot Prapasri's and Fluke Teerapat's La Pluie, as I know La Pluie is going to end up on a lot of Best of 2023 lists. I AM OBSESSED.

But once I'm done with La Pluie, we stay grindin' on our homework, and I'll get to Cheewin Thanamin's Secret Crush on You. I know that SCOY is being referenced in The Sign right now, which I really wish I had time to watch, but -- there is so much airing. And I'm double-Cheewin-ing with Playboyy at the moment, so I think I'll stick with the SCOY/Playboyy double-feature for a little comparison's sake.

If anyone was noticing, I did take off a rewatch of The Eclipse from the list. I think, as of recent times, that a lot can be said of GMMTV's current ships by way of the closing of Only Friends, and anything I was going to analyze on the side of The Eclipse, I already wrote in my Only Friends meta earlier this fall.

So THAT means that after SCOY -- I've got a rewatch of KinnPorsche on the slate. BL cultural zeitgeist from a brand-new studio, woop woop! I am not-so-secretly looking forward to watching this, as KP was my first Thai BL, ever.

We keep KEEPIN'! Here's the status of the list, and as ever, please head over to this link for a more updated version of this watchlist!

1) The Love of Siam (2007) (movie) (review here) 2) My Bromance (2014) (movie) (review here) 3) Love Sick and Love Sick 2 (2014 and 2015) (review here) 4) Gay OK Bangkok Season 1 (2016) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 5) Make It Right (2016) (review here) 6) SOTUS (2016-2017) (review here) 7) Gay OK Bangkok Season 2 (2017) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 8) Make It Right 2 (2017) (review here) 9) Together With Me (2017) (review here) 10) SOTUS S/Our Skyy x SOTUS (2017-2018) (review here) 11) Love By Chance (2018) (review here) 12) Kiss Me Again: PeteKao cuts (2018) (no review) 13) He’s Coming To Me (2019) (review here) 14) Dark Blue Kiss (2019) and Our Skyy x Kiss Me Again (2018) (review here) 15) TharnType (2019-2020) (review here) 16) Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey (OffGun BL cuts) (2016 and 2017) (no review) 17) Theory of Love (2019) (review here) 18) 3 Will Be Free (2019) (a non-BL and an important harbinger of things to come in 2019 and beyond re: Jojo Tichakorn pushing queer content in non-BLs) (review here) 19) Dew the Movie (2019) (review here) 20) Until We Meet Again (2019-2020) (review here) (and notes on my UWMA rewatch here) 21) 2gether (2020) and Still 2gether (2020) (review here) 22) I Told Sunset About You (2020) (review here) 23) YYY (2020, out of chronological order) (review here) 24) Manner of Death (2020-2021) (not a true BL, but a MaxTul queer/gay romance set within a genre-based show that likely influenced Not Me and KinnPorsche) (review here) 25) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) (review here) 26) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For The Sake Of Rewatching Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (re-review here) 27) Lovely Writer (2021) (review here) 28) Last Twilight in Phuket (2021) (the mini-special before IPYTM) (review here) 29) I Promised You the Moon (2021) (review here) 30) Not Me (2021-2022) (review here)

31) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) (thesis here) 32) 55:15 Never Too Late (2021-2022) (not a BL, but a GMMTV drama that features a macro BL storyline about shipper culture and the BL industry) (review here) 33) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) and Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (2023) OGMMTVC Rewatch (The BBS OGMMTVC Meta Series is ongoing: preamble here, part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3a here, part 3b here) 34) Secret Crush On You (2022) (on pause for La Pluie) 35) KinnPorsche (2022) (tag here) 36) KinnPorsche (2022) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For the Sake of Re-Analyzing the KP Cultural Zeitgeist 37) The Eclipse (2022) (tag here) 38) GAP (2022-2023) (Thailand’s first GL) 39) My School President (2022-2023) and Our Skyy 2 x My School President (2023) 40) Moonlight Chicken (2023) (tag here) 41) Bed Friend (2023) (tag here) 42) Be My Favorite (2023) (tag here)  43) Wedding Plan (2023)  44) Only Friends (2023) (tag here)]