#paradise of thorns spoilers

[vegaseatsass]

So Paradise of Thorns eh

[vani-ash]

Inviting you to experience every memorable moment With behind-the-scenes moments from the shoot #วิมานหนาม (I edited some of the quotes for no spoilers) (translated with google translate)

Jeff and Northern Language Jeff had to speak a few words in the northern dialect, but Jeff was very serious and tried to speak as directly as possible. If he felt it was inaccurate, he would ask to reshoot.

-Boss Guno, Director-

Songs on our car After that… Jeff had to practice singing for the scene in the car with Toi. Jeff asked Boss how beautiful he wanted his singing to be. When Boss said he wanted to sing for fun, Jeff had to practice singing so that it didn't sound beautiful.

-Boss Guno, director-

The first queue of Keng This was Jing’s first time filming #วิมานหนาม , and he had to do a lot of things, such as trying out characters, climbing trees, and reading scripts. He was so excited and focused that his voice was shaking and he couldn’t speak properly.

-Boss Guno, Director-

Magic Moment When Durian Flowers Bloom There was a magic moment on the night we shot the scene where the first durian flowers bloomed, and that night was the night when the durian flowers in the garden really just bloomed.

-Boss Guno, Director-

Behind the overwritten sign The background of this sign is also very deep. We had to decide whether to write Mae Saeng’s name or not. If we wrote Mae Saeng, we had to erase it and change it to Kam-Sek. Then we had to go back and write Mae Saeng again. So this sign was written over and over again before finally becoming a sign that was truly written over.

-Boss Guno, Director-

Take photos and sew Jeff had to wear this outfit many times. The outfit started to deteriorate because it was second-hand. As we filmed, the outfit tore into long pieces. What the team did was sew the outfit right there. It was a filming process where they were filming and sewing.

-Boss Guno, director-

Personal smoke-evasion chair This picture is a scene at the durian burning pond. On the day of filming, the smoke from the durian pond was blown in the direction of the blocking of the three actors, Jeff, Engfa, and Mae Sida, who each had their own chair. When the wind blew, they would help carry the chair down to hide in the house. When they re-shot the scene, they would come up again. It was like they were hiding from the smoke all the time. That’s why it turned out to be a picture of them laughing.

-Boss Guno, director-

Jeff, a durian lover In this scene, it’s like Jeff ate more than 20 durian pods. He ate a lot. At that time, we really cut the durian open. When we cut it open, there was no flesh, so we cut it again. When we cut it open, the fruit wasn’t pretty, so we cut it again. Actually, Jeff is someone who really likes to eat durian, but when he saw this scene, later on, he just wanted to nibble and eat it whole.

-Boss Guno, director- Via twitter - gdh559

[kinnbig]

CW for The Paradise of Thorns: there’s a pretty intense attempted rape scene that starts about 1 hour and 54 minutes in. the scene ends at about 1 hour and 56 minutes.

[thomaskong]

There’s a lot to be said about Tang being the one to kill Jingna. After all the fighting and bloodshed, Mo and Thongkam finally reached a compromise and the movie could have ended right there. It would’ve been a bittersweet ending considering all the losses beforehand, but that was still too much. Instead, Tang, a man of the law, attacks them. He specifically attacks the queer characters. First trying to murder Thongkam and then successfully murdering Jingna. Of all the characters Jingna could be said to have the most “innocence” in his relation to the family’s infighting, but he still gets killed. By a character representing the law. At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about the ending considering I tend to have more of an aversion to queer stories that end so tragically but I don’t think there was any other way they could end this with the message they were trying to send. It’s a film about inequality and a happy ending is not possible because of these inequalities. Even if the characters can find peace amongst each other it doesn’t matter if the law says otherwise. It’s also what makes his death so painful. The film started and ended with the deaths of two gay men who did not need to die if the law was in their favor. If Thongkam was accepted as Sek’s husband he would have lived. If a symbol of the law didn’t actively try to kill Jingna with bloodshot eyes that can’t see right from wrong he would have lived. The ending leaves you feeling devastated, helpless, and in some ways shocking but it just couldn’t have gone another way.

[itagakimizuki]

[benkaben]

I seriously can't stop thinking about it.

[lazzarella]

Well, The Paradise of Thorns was a wild ride. I think I’m feeling kind of shellshocked. All I can say right now is the acting was incredible across the board, the score is beautiful and it looked stunning. And it left me stunned XD

Might say more later when I’ve digested it, but I kind of suck at writing about movies, so this will probably be it, as vague and pointless as it is

But I definitely liked it! Just, you know, need to process it a little more

[njessie]

I watched The Paradise of Thorns spent all day thinking about it but now that I've digested:

It ended up being quite different from what I was expecting, especially tonally. I thought it was going to be more about the law and Jeff's character (Thongkam) trying to navigate that and get the house and orchard back, with a light sprinkle of violence we saw in the trailer. But it actually felt more like a thriller/psychological thriller, especially from the cinematography and sound design, which really built up the intense tension in the script. It almost felt like a horror movie

The acting was really solid. I was expecting it from Jeff and Engfa, but this is the first thing I'd seen Keng in and although his part was small, he really held his own

The cinematography, sound design, and art direction were all incredible. Again, I was expecting it from Boss Kuno, but it really was a gorgeously made film. It deserves praise for that alone

So many layers of institutional and systemic violence and oppression and how it affects people and trickles down, combined with this story about how hate and grief and expectation warps people. It was absolutely devastating

I saw some criticisms of the violence at the end but I actually thought the story built up to it and that it worked within the larger narrative. There really was no way for this to be a happy ending

Solid 3.75/5 - there are some major trigger warnings though, especially for the last 15 minutes

[leconcombrerit]

In the gray zone where you've read enough spoilers to know about some major events but not enough to know exactly how things go afterwards so you're even more distressed than if you hadn't read anything at all.

You will find me compulsively refreshing any review sites I can find until I have The Information.

[merakiui]

never-ending noctuary; love forevermore.

yandere!malleus draconia x (female) reader cw: yandere, nsfw, unhealthy behaviors/relationship, somnophilia, non-con, overblot!malleus, obsession, breeding, baby-trapping, malleus is written to have two dicks, spoilers for part two of book seven note - and sitting powerful on his throne of thorns, omniscience at his fingertips, the lord of malevolence takes a bride.

An eerie, all-consuming quiet has fallen over Sage’s Island.

It is frigid and unfriendly like winter. Harsh and oppressive like silence. Painful and abrasive like brambles. Time has come to a swift halt here, and with it the people fall into never-ending euneirophrenia. Delights so dreamy shall inhabit the minds of all who sleep, the grandest gift granted to those unwilling. Like fate itself, wound around every living soul, it is inescapable. Inevitable like death—unfair and unforgettable.

But then it is also peaceful and secure. Quaint and warm like a blanket. Fluffy and floral like spring’s first kiss. Solace is far sweeter when spent in oneiric solitude, and so it will seem for one-thousand years. Forevermore, stretched taut into the future, the dream persists.

Is that not the best blessing? To those who wish to savor a fleeting moment just a second more, is this not a wish granted generously tenfold? Rather than immortalizing the past with photographs, it shall never come to pass. There is no need for bittersweet recollections or tearful farewells. The present will persevere, lived out in endless dreams.

Surely this is the correct course. Not just for Malleus, for he is a gentle, kind creature who recognizes the mutual desire for interminable merriment, but for the entirety of the island. Although in hoping for love forevermore, he has shackled himself to selfish, Epicurean pleasures. The type which normally lasts as long as a vision spent on cloud nine.

Currently, sitting proud and alone on a cold throne, Malleus knows of no greater joy.

The party may have fallen still as the grave, bodies slumbering in stiff propinquity, but it hasn’t finished. The food may have congealed, inedible and decaying, but it is there. A testament to spirits kept aloft, if only to ensure no one ever knows the desolation of endings.

Paradise is what you make of it. Thus, should you hope for it, you can walk on the clouds in your mind and never know of Icarus’s plights. You can shed insecurities and anxieties and taste delectable metamorphosis. You can be anyone and anything. You can be strong and wealthy. You can be fearless and heroic. You can be an impossible ideal.

You can be loved.

Malleus watches your seemingly lifeless form splayed on the sofa, limbs draped over that of Ace and Deuce. It’s a tranquil sight, a marionette freed from the strings of somber, suffocating life.

Under a roof of thorns, you are reborn.

Paradise is wondrous for Malleus, albeit a touch silent. He wonders what you might say if you were to stand at his side and observe this eternal slumber party. Would it fill you with awe? With appreciation? With abject terror?

Perhaps there is no use in theorizing. He doesn’t need to know, for you will love him even in sleep.

He rises, taking each step at a time. Thorny branches and roots part to make way for him, a groom traversing the aisle in search of his bride. You lie still, secrets sealed behind pretty, plush lips, and if he was not the cause for your current state he might assume you were late.

But there is no death here. It cannot reach. It will never reach because Paradise knows not of death or suffering.

Paradise is the garden before the infestation. Paradise is the body before bacterial devastation. Paradise is love before departed lamentation.

Malleus gazes at your restful face, leaning down to trace a clawed, blot-tainted finger along your cheek. There are no tears; you are a doll incapable of such sorrow, sculpted to portray perfect neutrality. He is most pleased with this development, his chest rumbling with a triumphant chuckle. Now you shall never know an ending ever again. Now you shall remain here, safe and stagnant in his arms, far from the mirror that may allow you to return home.

Gathering your body in his arms, he lifts you from the cushions. You crumble in his grasp, head lolling and arms noodling at your sides. Sagging dead weight, but he places his ear to your chest to listen to the melodic thrum of your heart. You’re alive, frailty shielded from the horrors of the world. Here, in thorny idyll, you will live forevermore.

Historically, all rulers must have someone to call their own. Whether it be by way of arrangement or convenience, strung together for the sake of conjoined power or out of obligation, this is an irrefutable fact. Historically, all rulers must bear an heir—someone to carry on the glory of an ever-present lineage.

Malleus refuses to bring a child into the world unless they are given the blessing of the one thing he was deprived of since birth.

A mother.

You fit in his embrace, a puppet tugged into a one-sided waltz. He steps over fallen bodies as he holds you against his chest, following the routine even though you aren’t awake to reciprocate.

Historically, a married pair must share the first dance. Or that’s what he’s read in fairy tales.

There are no rings here; promises are left unspoken. He won’t entertain rejection because there is no room for it in Paradise. Every unsavory, horrid thing—pestilence and pain, death and destruction, and sadness and sin—is packed away in Pandora’s box and shelved. Malleus won’t risk opening it to release the tiny shred of hope desperately clawing for escape. It’s not worth it.

He will foster his own hope if he must, and she exists in his arms—beautifully motionless.

The steps are executed with care, up the stairs and towards a lonesome chair. He attempts a twirl, lowering you into a dip. Your arms hang limply, eyes shut in permanence. Brimming with fondness, Malleus tugs you back up to press his lips to your forehead.

“Dearest one,” he mumbles, “may you know many fruitful fantasies in the arms of Morpheus.”

He reclaims his seat and situates you to face him while perched on his lap. You slump against him, near-boneless. He smiles at you, imagining the ruckus that would certainly come about from such a daring gesture. Sebek would squawk at you to have more respect and dignity. Silver would tut and shake his head. Lilia would look on in amusement.

These are small pleasantries, little wishes he hopes to witness someday.

Historically, a married pair must consummate their bond.

Malleus’s fingertips flit across your figure, feeling fabric beneath his palms. He tries to exercise restraint and take it slow—everything in moderation, Lilia would remind him—but he can’t contain his nympholepsy. Your clothes are discarded at once, shredded to scraps in his haste. He moves clumsily, following the searchlight of intrinsic ardor. You’re softer when bare, he observes, peeling your bra from your skin. A pallid hand presses down onto your breast, the pudge of which caves beneath his fingers. He withdraws and it bounces back to its shape.

Fascinating, he marvels with wide, enchanted eyes.

Claws tweak at your hardened nipples next. He’s careful because you’re notably weaker. Even in sleep, he must mind his hedonism. Too much and you will break. Too little and he’ll be left unsatisfied. Malleus watches your expression. It was mostly neutral, but now your eyebrows are twitching in response to his touch.

In sleep, you are the most vulnerable.

He knows this because he’s peered in from afar, admiring you through a glass barrier while you slept unaware in Ramshackle. He would never do anything without invitation. Though it may not be in writing, your body is oh-so-inviting. And he indulges because he’s only known this fervor in the deepest, darkest dreams.

Curiously, in his pursuit of passion, Malleus happens upon the special space between your legs. Delicate like a flower, it’s the prettiest part of your anatomy. If he wishes to connect with you, to tie himself to you in unholy communion, he must acquaint himself with this sliver of seventh heaven. He’s never seen one up close; the sight is foreign but very welcome. He drinks it in, burning your form into his retinas. Two fingers trace your labia, stroking along flowery folds in V-shaped strokes. You twitch in his arms, an unconscious, knee-jerk reaction.

At some point, in the middle of his experimental exploration, Malleus begins to hum. It’s a soft, genial lilt. Low and soothing, the lullaby fills the silent halls of Diasomnia’s common room like poison gas.

He contemplates whether this is enough. Can you feel these sensations even when you’re so deep in your dreams? Perhaps so, for when he brushes back the hood protecting your clit to rub at it you soak his fingers. Lubricious, your wetness shimmers on his fingertips when he pulls them away to admire the very essence of you. Without hesitation, he places his fingers on the pad of his tongue to clean both. It’s a divine taste, proof of pleasure.

You cannot speak, so instead your body does so for you. A most bewitching behavior.

Malleus’s hand slithers back towards home, his fingers sliding in with surprising ease. Gummy walls cling to slender digits, embracing the intrusion as if it’s meant to be. With each pump of his fingers, your body warms. The sinful squelch of scissoring fingers joins his humming in a salacious song. Every now and then, you spasm in his arms, your lips parting ever so slightly to release a sigh or a breathy moan. It’s musical, a whimsy he’s only just discovered.

“My beautiful bride,” Malleus croons, “you will know love in my arms. Love forevermore, here in this sanctuary. Fear not, for I have done away with all that may terrify and traumatize.”

Pressure is straining beneath the belt, an itch that must be promptly dealt with. Removing his fingers, he shifts you on his lap so that he may free his cocks from confinement. Twin monstrosities curve towards his stomach; perhaps you’d have been frightened if you were awake to behold them. His hand settles on the small of your back, steadying you as he lines one of them up with your body. The tip just reaches past your navel. For a moment, Malleus ponders whether he might break you.

Careful now, he can hear Lilia’s chiding. Impatience will lead to injury.

He heeds the unspoken warning, lifting you with both hands until the head of his cock is kissing your pussy. And then, slowly, he lowers you down onto him. Your pussy stretches around him, a snug squeeze that only grows tighter with every inch swallowed. Malleus pulls you flush against his chest when he’s halfway slotted, his breathing staggered. Your body quivers, walls fluttering around him, while his other unsheathed cock presses against your navel. Pre-cum smears on your stomach.

He’s determined to cherish you, thrusting all the way to the hilt after a few determined tries. It’s a firm fit, but it’s still bliss. Hissing through his teeth, brows knitted in concentration, Malleus wraps his arms around you and fucks. Mindless, mostly, but with the intent to reach the only acceptable end here: orgasmic ecstasy. He makes up for the lack of motion on your part by moving his hips to meet yours as he rocks you up and down. Whimpers slip past your lips; he shushes you with song, humming through groans and grunts.

This is love.

Malleus thinks so when he positions your hands over his other untouched cock. The illusion doesn’t last long because your hands are quick to fall away. Instead, he grasps your hand, guides it back to his shaft, and pumps himself using your precious palm for friction.

You’re bounced up and down in a parody of consensual copulation. Malleus dwells in imagination, picturing you in a wedding gown. He considers what you might say, the vows you would undoubtedly swear, and the sweet nothings you’d exchange late into the evening. He’d twirl you across an elegant ballroom while everyone looks on with tender adoration and reverence. He’d show you the stars hanging just within reach, and when you’re swept up in riveting romance the sky is tangible and dreams are spun from sugar.

He’d place you on his bed, stripping you of your dress, hands trailing up to tug the frilly garter from your thigh, and you’d smile at him, open your arms and welcome him with mutual affection. You’d bloom for him like a moonflower, your heart beating in sync with his, as he fulfills the final promise—one so bodily imperative. An oath to disturb desolate halls with noise. To hear the pitter-patter of tiny footfalls upon stone floors—he can’t imagine anything more harmonious.

You would soften throughout the months, bright with that foretold pregnancy glow. He would press his hands to your rounded belly and feel squirming within, restless kicks and nudges. You’d discuss potential names over breakfast, and he would hover even though he knows you’re plenty capable. But he worries because you’re so fragile and fleeting. So pretty. So round with child. He wouldn’t leave you alone for a moment; you’re far too enchanting. Perhaps, in some distant future, he’ll lower to the height of your stomach and sing to the baby.

A smile would tug at your lips and you’d reach down to pat his head, running your fingers over his horns. And then— 

Malleus cracks his eyes open, his breath hot against your face. His chest heaves as he comes down from the high of domestic daydreams to find your stomach spattered with cum. Swallowing thickly, he peers between your bodies at your pussy stretched around his other cock.

Oh, he came inside.

Unexpectedly. Or perhaps not, for this was his intention. But once is not nearly enough, and he must fill you until you’re fit to burst—until it’s biologically certain you’re pregnant.

An emotion flickers on your face. Malleus mistakes it for jubilation, the type which calls forth a sunshower on your cheeks. He kisses the tears trailing down your face, ending at your lips for a chaste peck.

This is not the finale. It is simply the beginning.

[vani-ash]

I'm just trying to make a timeline of Paradise Of Thorns for myself feel free to correct me if it sounds wrong. (Spoilers for the movie)

According to google it takes approximately 3-5 months to grow durian to ripe from when they first bloom, So the movie takes place roughly over 5 months if we go for the longest time.

Thongkam is a monk for about a month (again i just googled how long temple duties take and it said a month).

At the start when asked how long until the durians are ready to sell Thongkam says 4 months, so its been 1 month by himself before they move in.

And then I think when he gets back from being a monk, that's probably close to 4 months being done (he goes to do it 4 months in? based off 1 month by himself, 3 hospital visits )

Mae Saengs hospital visits are once a month, we only see 2, once at the start, and once when Thongkam buys her the wheelchair, but there is a third we don't see where Thongkam goes to sell the produce and tells them they have to take a taxi.

I think Jingna shows up around halfway through the second month.

The time between Sek and Thongkam finding their first durian bloom, getting married, Sek dying, and Seks funeral is unclear to me. I did think they got married, paid off the debt and Sek dying happened in a day but i think it'd make more sense to be like a week. (I thought a day cause Sek asks to marry and its like sunrise, then it cuts to them going to pay the debt, which i assume was already mostly paid off if they could do it this quickly, so like i assume Thongkam insisted on paying it that day instead of whenever he was scheduled to pay it, Sek leaves to do things, then comes back that night. But after trying to time line it i think a week or two sounds more realistic?)

So sometime within the first month all that happens, and then I've just been using the hospital visits to try and count how long each section takes.

-1 month alone/with sek -3 months with Mae Saeng, Mo and Jingna -1 month away at temple -1 month with Jingna (the durians arent fully done when he gets back so I'm adding 1 more month even though thats over 5)

I think Mo's wedding, and the rest of the ending all takes place on the same day/night. Also Sek / Thongkam been together 5+ years

Mo / Sek been together 20 years (?)

(Mo wanted to leave to work in bangkok 10 years ago but Sek convinced her to stay, so Thongkam/ Sek could be together more than 5 years as thats only how long hes been paying the debt?)

[twig-tea]

2024 BL/GL/QL Round-Up Post

Since I did this last year, I thought for posterity I'd post another reflection on everything I watched that completed in 2024. For me, that means anything that started in 2023 but the last episode was in 2024 is on this list, but anything that was still be airing after 31 December 2024 11:59 my time (EST) is not on this list, even if the bulk of the show did air in 2024.

A few stats:

[The image is TL;DR for what follows lol]

I watched ~150 discrete pieces of new QL content in 2024 (series/films) that I tracked [It gets complicated with specials and split seasons but I did my best to be consistent]; plus 10 things that I would consider "adjacent". For contrast, I listed 110 pieces of discrete content in 2023; that's a 45% increase year over year!

This clocked in at an est. 900 hours of new BL/GL and adjacent content (up from ~600 in 2023--which also tells us that the content I tracked was a little longer overall because that's a full 50% increase in terms of hours spent).

The new content I watched came from 9 different countries [same as 2023]: (Cambodia [1], Philippines [2, down from 3], Hong Kong [1], Japan [32, up from 18 in 2023], Korea [20; was 19], Myanmar [2, up from 1], Taiwan [12, up from 6], Thailand [75; up from 56], Vietnam [4, down from 7]), China [5], and then 3 joint effort productions from Thailand/Korea [2] and Thailand/Taiwan [1]

This means just under ~47% of the content I watched on this list is from Thailand [close to the 50% in 2023]

So many more shows had multiple or varied distributions this year, but like last year ~85% of my content was on 3 platforms: YouTube [38%; down from 40%], GaGaOoLaLa [30%; up from 23%] and iQIYI [17%; down from 21%] Note: I'm in Canada and my access routes are sometimes affected by that.

As unbelievable as it sounds with all that, I did actually drop shows this year! I dropped 9 shows, which is I think more than I've dropped in my entire previous 20+ years watching queer asian media combined (that might be an exaggeration but I do really hate dropping shows); 4 Thai, 3 Filipino, 1 Taiwanese and 1 Japanese (listed at the very bottom of this post if you want to be messy). I didn't track any dropped shows in 2023.

And if you're wondering how many shows there are in the world in total, I am aware of an additional 11 shows I just did not have time to even start (2 from Cambodia, 4 from the Philippines, 3 from Thailand, and 1 each from Korea and Myanmar). That does not include the vertical short reels that I didn't track this year--see @ellsieee 's tracking post for these--as well as several GL shorts from JPC media YouTube channel and Sastra film app YouTube channel that I just have not had time to try or even keep track of, though I do peek in on them to see if there's anything that looks particularly good, and I do always link these folks in my GL round-ups.

All of this doesn't include re-watches or catching up on old shows, or non-QL queer media, or non-queer media (the hets sometimes do deserve rights); but does include films as well as shows.

I hope you all appreciate that with this much content, and with my general brand of being unable to make decisions, I really struggled to narrow down a top 10 list. What follows is the best I could do lol

Top 25 QLs I'd Recommend From This Year:

[Links are self-indulgently to what I thought was the most relevant post I'd made this year relevant to that series/media, mostly spoiler-free pitches]

She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat S2 (Tsukutabe) [GL]

Love in the Big City

Love For Love's Sake

Tadaima Okaeri [anime]

Ossan no pantsu ga nandatte ii janai ka (Oppan)

Marahuyo Project

Knock Knock Boys

Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo

Love is Like a Poison (Doku koi)

Ossan's Love Returns

Twilight out of Focus [anime]

At 25:00 in Akasaka

Cooking Crush

Cherry Magic [anime]

Cherry Magic Thailand

Takara no Vidro

Soul Sisters / Twin Rabbits [GL]

Perfect Propose

Unknown the series

Paradise of Thorns [film]

Blue Canvas of Youthful Days

The Secret of Us [GL]

Mr Mitsuya's Planned Feeding (Mitsuya-Sensei)

The Time of Fever

A Man Who Defies the World of BL S3

I tried to put these in some kind of order but honestly if you asked me to rank them the numbering would change all the time and I would combust. The ones I liked best are closer to the top of this list. I also debated back and forth on whether Paradise of Thorns counts as QL so many times. But in the end I decided the main character was queer and queer romance of a sort was at the heart of the drama, so I've left it in this list even though technically it should probably sit with the 'adjacent's.

Worth noting that though only ~20% of the content I watched was from Japan, ~45% of my favourites were from Japan.

+5 notable pulp offerings worth mentioning:

Bagan Beginning (Myanmar)

City of Stars (Thailand)

Gym Affairs (China)

To the Ex Who Hated Me (Korea, GL)

Under the Oak Tree (Vietnam)

I think I'll do a top 10 GL post separately since we had enough content to warrant a top 10 (yay!) but this is already long enough. I just want to take a second to acknowledge that this year was so much better than in 2023 when I didn't feel like I could recommend any of the new GL shows. Thank you content creators for better and more GL in 2024, please keep that energy for 2025!

Bonus: Not a QL but worth calling out:

How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (Thai film)

I saw both this and Paradise of Thorns in theatres during the Toronto International Film Festival and they were both so powerful! Extremely different tones but they surprisingly hit on similar themes, and very beautifully filmed. HTMMBGD was a complicated film filled with very rounded and complex characters, and I still think about it all the time. Very excited for more folks to have access to both of these soon.

Sidenote: The fact that I watched 45% more shows in 2024 than I did in 2023 and still managed to keep my rec list to 30 (*cough1cough*) does seem to back up the general feeling that though we had more content, we didn't have a proportional rise in good content. I do want to crunch those numbers in another post.

Double Plus Bonus: Best Older QL Content I watched for the first time in 2024:

Life as a Girl / Joshi-teki Seikatsu (Japan, 2018; I'm so sad I missed out on this one for so long due to misinfo, it is fantastic! Thanks to @so-much-yet-to-learn for helping propel me to this one)

Iron Ladies (Thailand, 2000; thank you for the rec, @happypotato48)

Nacchan's Secret / Himitsu no Nacchan (Japan, 2023; thank you @furritsubs for making this watch possible)

Can I Buy Your Love From a Vending Machine / Sono Koi, Jihanki de Kaemasuka? (Japan, 2023; thanks to @nicks-den for making this watch possible)

I Fell In Love with the Villainness (Japan, 2023; watched because of a convo with @pilanthitasanilaphat)

Doi Boy (Thailand, 2023; this one I had on my list and just had to work up the energy to watch, but it was a beautiful film and I'm glad I did)

BL Metamorphosis (Japan, 2022; another thank you to @furritsubs)

Dear Dad (India, 2016; thanks to @neuroticbookworm for the rec!)

Salty Blue / Kakenuketara, Umi (Japan, 2023, thank you again @nicks-den!)

[I can't believe I forgot this at first] The Miracle of Teddy Bear (Thailand, 2022, thanks for going on that journey and writing great meta with me and for calling me out for forgetting @lurkingshan!)

There is so much good content in the world and despite my best efforts I haven't seen everything! So grateful to the fansubbers and people who write about past shows so that those of us who missed them the first time still get a chance to see them.

In terms of my output based on all this input, I continued not lurking this year, and have enjoyed it very much; see my Top 10 posts from 2024 here as well as the content I linked in my recommended shows above--going through the process of adding those links really highlighted to me how much more I've written this year, and how much more motivated I am to write about shows I love. It's no surprise I had dedicated posts for most of my top shows! To highlight a few specific projects this year that I'm proud of, I participated in the Love in the Big City Book Club read and watch-alongs organized by @lurkingshan, which was such a fun project that I am grateful for, and I started my GL Odds and Ends posts (tagged with #gl recs) that I am still feeling out but am really enjoying seeing the impact whenever someone watches a show because they found out about it through one of my posts. I also made an appearance on several episodes of @the-conversation-pod and had an incredible time trying out different things in a quarterly 'Dispatch' and having some really rich conversations with @bengiyo and @shortpplfedup. I love this corner of tumblr that we've carved out for ourselves as a QL watching community, and I just want to say to everyone I've interacted with in 2024: Thank you, and wish good things for you all in 2025!

Full list of 2024 shows under the cut for anyone curious! [Mostly in order it completed but may be slightly off--if a special aired immediately after the final episode I only list them as one thing and count the airing of the special as the end date, for example].

Bagan Beginning

Love Senior the Series

After SunDown

VIP Only

Twins the Series

Last Twilight

Night Dream the Series

My Universe

Bake Me Please special episode

Sahara Sensei to Tori Kun / Mr Sahara and Toki-kun

Love for Love's Sake

7 Days Before Valentine

Happy Ending

PitBabe the series

For Him the series

Cooking Crush

The Sign

Chaser Game W

Playboyy the series

Perfect Propose

Ossan's Love Returns

Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna S2 / She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat

Cherry Magic Th

Dead Friend Forever

Sukidoya / Although I Love You and You / Sukiyaken kedo dou yaroka?

Healing Thingyan

Love You in Every Multiverse

Cherry Magic (anime)

Please Teach Me

Anti Reset

Jazz for Two

Blank the Series

A Secretly Love

To Be Continued the series

Love is Better the Second time around / Koi wo Surunara Nidome ga Joto

City of Stars

Sea You Soon

Human Too

Man Who Defies the World of BL s3

Gray Shelter / Gray Currents / Grey Current

Gym Affairs

1000 Years Old the Series

Love is Like a Cat

To the Ex Who Hated Me

Lady Boy Friends the series

Deep Night the series + Special Episode

Unknown the series

Memory in the Letter

You are My Star

Lonely Girls

Boys Be Brave / Roommates / I Can't Confess

Blossom Campus

Two Worlds

VIP Only special episode

Pray In Love

I Fell In Love with My Male Best Friend

Friend With Benefit

Stay By My Side special episode

23.5

You Made My Day

Living With Him

City Boy Log pt3

Anti-Reset special episode

The Time of Huan Nan

Xiao Xiang Yi Jiu

Inverse Identity

At 25:00 in Akasaka

Only Boo!

Tadaima Okaeri

Love Bully (Club Friday)

Blank the Series S2

Marahuyo Project

The Two of Us

Blue Boys

OMG Vampire!

My Stand-In

We Are the series

Ossan no pantsu ga nandatte ii janai ka / Oppan

Wandee Goodday

Under the Oak Tree

The Rebound

Love Enemy

Love in the Apocalypse

Bad Guy

My Marvellous Dream is You/ Dream the Series

Century of Love

Knock Knock Boys

Be Your Star

Meet You at the Blossom

BOYTOY

The Secret of Us

Ayaka is in love with Hiroko / Ayaka-chan wa Hiroko-sempai ni koi shiteru

My Love Mix-Up!

This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans

Love Sea the series

Cosmetic Playlover

City Boy Log s4

Sunset Vibes

Mr Mitsuya's Planned Feeding

Takara no Vidro / Takara's Treasure

Paradise of Thorns

I Hear the Sunspot

The Time of Fever / when your temperature reaches my fingertips

4 Minutes The Trainee

Twilight out of Focus

Happy of the End

The On1y One

Live in Love

Heaven'sxCandy

The Two of Us s2

Addicted Heroin

I Saw You In My Dream

Monster Next Door

Our Golden Times

Affair

First Note of Love

Battle of the Writers

Reverse 4 U

Unlock Your Love

Chaser Game W s2

Let free the Curse of Taekwondo

Uncle Unknown

The Hidden Moon the series

Love in the Big City [the series]

Smells Like Green Spirit

Red Whisper

Eccentric Romance/PT is Love

My Damn Business

Apple My Love

Dominant Yakuza and Wimpy Corporate Slave

The Nipple Talk

Kidnap the series

Every You Every Me

Jack & Joker

People Come Later

Blue Canvas of Youthful Days

The Loyal Pin

Let's Eat Together Aki and Haru 2

Love is Like a Poison / doku koi: doku mo sugireba koi to naru

Bad Guy My Boss

Haunted Hearts

Seoul Blues

The Renovation

Love Sick 2024

Love in the Big City [the film]

Spare Me Your Mercy / Euthanasia

Soul Sisters / Twin Rabbits

My Hot Butch Roommate

Whisper Me a Love Song / Sasayaku you ni koi wo utau

Boys' Christmas

Bonus: FuFuKnows bi-weekly shorts [every other week they post a short film, almost always a QL storyline; there were 23 in 2024]

And those QL-adjacent shows I mentioned [these are all adapted from QL media or starred QL actors or were part of a QL franchise but did not have a canon queer romance at the core of its storytelling]:

The Spirealm

Close Friend 3 - Soju Bomb

How to Make a Million Before Grandma Dies

Man Suang

High School Return Of A Gangster / I, a Gangster, Became a High Schooler

Kimi to Yukite Saku: Shinsengumi Seishunroku

Hoshikuzu Telepath

A Balloon's Landing

Peaceful Property

My Strawberry Film

The shows I dropped:

Time the series

Beside You

Sugar Dog Life

The Whisperer

Kiseki in Tokyo

Q18

Sky Valley

The Fate Trap

Dear Miss Becky

And as a shout-out in penance, the shows I had on my list to get to but haven't yet watched:

A Blue Sky (Cambodia)

Ending Friend (Cambodia)

Pretty Boys (Philippines - requires an access fee on VivaMax+)

Oh My Boo (Philippines)

The Perfect Heartbreak (Philippines)

Where I found You (Philippines)

My_ the series (Myanmar)

What's In My Bag (Korean GL - requires an access fee on Vimeo)

Complicated (Thai)

Club Friday: Hot Love Issue (Thai)

2nd Chance (Thai; not to be confused with Second Chance, this was a smaller 3-episode short series from this year)

Thank you for reading!

[red-hibiscus]

Just finished watching Paradise of Thorns with a friend

Our thoughts (with some spoilers):

Overall, it had A LOT of potential to be a masterpiece, but it kind of went in a totally different direction than we thought it would and not in a way we particularly liked. Cinematography, acting, and music was great. Concept was good. Set up was good. The movie ended with us kind of not liking anyone. Especially after that very last fight. Everyone is objectively kind of a bad person.

Certain things we thought were unnecessary or could've been done a bit differently. Sek didn't need the whole cheating thing. Mo could've been a younger sister who hates Sek bc he got the land and not her. Or maybe she's a legitimate ex idk. Even an actually adopted daughter. This is partially bc the trailer (and first half of the film) leads you to believe it's a legal battle that shows what happens when gay ppl (who love each other) can't get married. Which does happen in the film, but Sek betraying people kind of weakens the impact of that. The focus is shifted.

Also the attempted rape was not needed at all. They could've continued with the slasher. It would've sufficed. Speaking of that slasher ending, where was Jingna? They weren't that far from him and they were screaming pretty loud.

My friend said she didn't like how quick Tongkam was to fall for Jingna. Personally (especially after seeing much bl) I can justify it from a plot perspective ig. I can work with it. At least the feelings. I think the suddenly acting like Jinga is his soulmate was fast though. Maybe he's desperate and lonely and wants to confirm an ally/loved one. Idk. Tongkam's brain confused me a bit.

I've said a bunch of negative things, so some positive things...

I think the Mo and the mom slowly but forcefully pushing out Tongkam was well done. It really made it feel like he was losing literally everything. Husband dead, house taken, literally sleeping outside without a good mosquito net despite having paid for everything. Well done. I felt the pain and frustration.

The actual pain of not being able to have the surgery done bc Tongkam isn't legally Sek's husband, and then not being able to get the land was intense. Really well done.

The sabotaging of the water and plants while Tongkam was out was smart and sad. The whole murder scene of the mom was intense and interesting. Tbh I thought it would've gotten more intense than it did. Wish they lingered on that plot a bit more. Similarly the reveal of Mo taking the chance to kill Sek was... in retrospect kind of predictable, but yeah fits the vibe and character.

That kiss scene under the mosquito net was aesthetically amazing. A+

My friend didn't like how it suddenly turned slasher at the end. Imo while it doesn't fit the vibe of the start of the film, I won't exactly say no to sudden blood and fighting. So some of that scene I did enjoy (minus the parts I mentioned above).

Conclusion:

Beautifully shot with great acting. Jeff looked gorgeous. Really had some amazing potential and I liked the first half the movie a lot. We both did. Some things were really well done and got me really attached and emotional to the whole story. Started going downhill due to certain plot choices we didn't really agree with. We also felt there was some plot holes. Wished some things could've been explained a bit better. This one is more of my friends thing, but I do think some relationships could've been a touch clearer. With a second watch on my own when I'm not chatting with a friend maybe I'd be fine for me.

I give it maybe a 7.5~8/10??? Do I recommend. Possibly, with warnings.

[thomaskong]

The paradise of thorns is a fucking intense movie so I get if ppl have to wait/have a hard time to rewatch it but it’s such a different experience once you know everything. Of course there’s big things like watching the opening and knowing Mo crashed the bike on purpose and Sek was two-timing but there’s smaller things too, like how Mo carries around the wallet Sek gave her during the film, and in the scene at the mini Big C with mae Saeng it’s revealed she only has coins left over from what Sek had “saved” for her…

[emberfaye]

Liveblogging my thoughts on Paradise of thorns, will be posting this after I finish watching. So spoilers!

(This is the first part, i will reblog wtih a second part)

Sek is sus already, is he guilty or shy?

Ah yes, the "i had to learn to sing badly in the car" scene i vaguely remember hearing about during the promo.

The bumper sticker!!! "it's too late i'm already married"

why is only sek's name on the deed that's not very smart of thongkam =(

omg laughing and sneezing during sex is absolutely something we don't see enough of, especially in queer media (from what i've seen)

rip sek, but at least the last thing you did before dying was blow your boy, what a good husband. (I joke but also like i did not expect thongkam to bear witness to him dying, i thought he was going to find him later and both are painful)

HI MO working late/early aren'tcha? Was the truck driver throwing bits of the vegetable off because it didn't meet his standards or?

the opening scene of the mom (the leaves falling away from the ceiling to show her face) was amazing omg cinematography i love you.

oh god he didn't just instant die, it's gonna be about having to wait for procedures and legalities too, even though his HUSBAND is right there askldgjaslkdjg

"I REALLY AM HIS HUSBAND WE JUST SCREWED LOOK" *drops pants* I'm. 0.0

Oh no wonder the mother is in such a bad state after the death, the guilt is going to eat her alive. and mo. oh god. and then them not getting there on time and thongkam losing everything to them LITERALLY OH MY GOD

FRIEND OF PATIENT OH FUCK OFF

EXCUSE ME

motherfucking what????

DO THEY NOT KNOW THEY WERE MARRIED? THAT HIS IS WEDDING RING???

I'm actually kinda glad the audio is low because then i can't hear the crying as much T_T

oh there is no no no trust here. damn.

oh god no don't tell me thongkam invites them as guests oh god please don't please don't the road to hell!!! (Oh wait i think she is not trusting thongkam and is going to just. bulldoze her way in?)

so was sek trying to protect himiself or thongkam since mo and mom had never been here?

ugh I can see the way the mom relies on mo so hard. poor mo.

THEY FUCKING PLANNED THIS. maybe not intentionally but they did oh my gooooooood fuck this.

forced him out of his marriage bed and then and only then did they inform him about what the village head said

I said this when i saw the trailer, and i'm gonna say it again, but i really hope that the movie ends with the mom leaving the land to thongkam, and she just wanted to die in the same place as her son. Though with how mo and thongkam acted, i wonder how they would end up dealing with that reveal, since they turned to throwing stuff at each other / competition.

does mo not even have a bed to sleep on?

Welp. both thongkam and mom did try to have a heart to heart, but both are so hurt and don't know how to see without worry for themselves.

oh they really making decisions for the orchard no without including thongkam that is not okay.

JINGNA cutting the durians? thongkam having a party? what is going on

OH HE WAS TRYING TO ANNOY THEM. not him refusing to take them to the hospital. T_T that's gonna have consequences

locked out of the house he built? T_T what the fuck oh god he's taking all the things and door and couches??? and now he's going to get the police called on him??? WAKING UP THE MOM TO TAKE THE RING BACK??? T_T

I'm literally having my blood pressure rise this is so intense

"A PERSON LIKE YOU IS FULL OF SIN"

"IF YOU WERE BORN A NORMAL WOMAN THEN SEK PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE DIED"

THONGKAM HONEY I WANT YOU TO GO FULL GONE GIRL ON THEIR ASSES PLEASE

I want to make a joke about horny jail but honestly i'm too stressed and sad.

the music leading up to this is just. psychological horror. this whole film feels like that tbh. and it is, to Thongkam.

How he managed to swallow his emotions and apologize is absolutely impressive and terrifying.

his face when asked to apologize to mo T_T lmao though

villain era thongkam let's gooooooo

what a shot the inner photographer in me just sighed in appreciation

Oh my god there was only one camping spot

NOPE THERE WAS ONLY ONE MOSQUITO NET

not jingna being a cuddler or a horny gay? what the fuck?

Yeah go sleep in the car buddy. jingna really tried to shoot his shot after punching him and shit?

Mo pushing her mom around for 20 years???

Okay but lmao him getting mom a wheelchair that mo doesn't need to push means mo isn't as needed ooo....drama

mo just sitting in the shower holding the water is so relatable though. i get it.

jingna is rather useless isn't he. just vibing head empty. OH GOD

JINGNA HAS HAD A CRUSH ON THONGKAM HASN'T HE? HE'S SO JEALOUS OF SEK? WHAT??? ISS? GOING?? ON???

sek please dont' be lying challenge

WAS SEK A SUGAR BABY???

thongkam: tell me about mo

jingna: "why do i have to tell you"

IS HE GONNA SAY WHAT I THINK HE IS? OFFER TO SLEEP WITH HIM???

NOPE HE'S GONNA SAY NOTHING AND JUST USE HIS HANDS

Thongkam uses seducation, it's not very effective.

"You don't wanna know" what's up with mo???

Investigator thongkam. what is the cultural significance of the stuff on the roof?

Wait were sek and mo a thing? why else did he throw his wedding ring down?

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD SEK YOU PIECE OF SHIT

sek: a wife to take care of my mom, a husband for work and money

fucking give bis a bad name. and yes, let jingna and thongkam fuck, boy is grieving multiple things now.

two people exploited by the same family.

fucking mood thongkam. fucking mood

I AM LIVID WHAT A FUCKING TWIST WHAT A FUCKING

using thongkam to (allegedly) fund his marriage with mo????\

NO WONDER SHE DIDN'T LET HIM GET BURIED WITH THONGKAM'S WEDDING RING

[demiromanticmickey]

I still don't know how to coherently talk about The Paradise of Thorns. Just know that it was intense and great.

It did also go in a totally different direction than I was anticipating. But I think what modified some of my expectations was that I saw it was under the Thriller genre, not just Drama. And I was like, "oh? Did not get that vibe from the trailer but okay." The other thing was the music. TPoT absolutely had Thriller movie music. It went well with the growing tension and felt bordering on Horror.

Mild spoilers below.

And for those who've seen TPoT already, or know about that scene at the end, I gotta say that did not come out of left field for me. That was one thing from the trailer I was picking up on. In particular, the part where Thongkam blocks Mo from leaving the bathroom. When I saw that bit in the trailer I felt Thongkam was giving off some rancid vibes.

After watching the trailer I thought, "no way, they're not going there right?" But then I begin watching the movie, getting a feel for things and I'm like, "oh they are going there aren't they". I just didn't know when or how we'd get to that point. But yeah, I wasn't surprised by it.