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absolutebl · 10 months ago

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This Week in BL - We Are Surprised

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

May 2024 Wk 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

Wandee Godday (Sat YT) ep 2 of 12 - Oh it’s fucking great. It could all go horribly south, of course. But it’s awesome at the moment. Messy gay and one of them is already pining? Got to love it. Including the negotiation.

I’d love a good sex negotiation, it’s almost as good as linguistic negotiation. This show makes me happy. All that said, it’s moving awfully quickly for a 12 episode run. Not sure what’s gonna happen on the backend.

My Stand-In (Thai Fri iQIYI) ep 3 of 12 eps - I’m still enjoying it but I’m ready for him to die again now.

We Are (Weds iQIYI) ep 5-6 of 16 - Toey is going after the Namgoong Award for Best Wingman this year, I see. And in exchange, literally all the rest of the friends are going to be his wingmen. It’s adorable. I also like that Phuwin got to be the aggressor for the first kiss. I like that this is mostly just boys flirting, and not really any prescribed seme/uke stuff. In general, I think these last two episodes I improved the show in my regard a lot. But then middles are always GMMTV's strong point, it’s whether they can stick the landing that’s an issue.

Two Worlds (Thurs iQIYI) ep 9 of 10 - Apparently we have the Frodo walking into Mordor episode. Also the sides were cute. In Thailand (like Taiwan) all gangsters are gay, apparently.

Only Boo! (Sun YouTube) ep 5 of 12 - It’s cute but very cringe and dorky. Silly singing. Terrible pickup lines. Still, that was a ridiculously charming confession.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues YouTube & Viki) ep 12fin - Oh so good. Very few shows that feature one-sided long-term pining of this kind can resolve the unevenness of that power dynamic into a more stable and equal footing with such class. We really got to see the object of the desire turn completely around and become equally besotted. An age gap, stepbrothers trope like this one is hard enough but at this length? Very well acted boys! Unknown managed to show the older brother softening in a believable way that’s pretty unusual in narratives of this type.

All in all?

Unknown is a wonderful BL with a pitch perfect portrayal of long term pining, age gap, and the stepbrothers trope. The acting and chemistry are ON POINT (especially from the leads) which made the resulting characters very believable. When it dwells in intimate family drama, it's stunning. It's slightly less successful when it leaves the home and goes gritty. It's few flaws are the result of curtailed length. It could have used more breathing room to deal with side plots, characters, and companion character development. The editing was occasionally choppy and packed with flashbacks that broke the emotional tension. Still, those are mere quibbles. This is an excellent show that I know I'm going to be recommending a lot. 9/10

Finally Taiwan hits another one out of the park.

About.

Damn.

Time.

Blue Boys (Korea Sat YouTube) 4 of ? - Oh it’s so good, and they are so tortured and it’s just charming and I can’t EVEN. I just love it. I love that Korea is giving us this right now. You’re an idiot if you’re not watching this show, it’s truly spectacular.

At 25:00 in Akasaka AKA 25 Ji Akasaka de (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 4 of 10 - Well well well Japan. I see how you kneed. I enjoyed this episode better than the first two, and I am way into our Bad Boy second lead. I can already feel myself succumbing to the syndrome. Next week = the obligatory onsen ep!

Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - Omg most adorbs failed linguistic negotiation.

Boys Be Brave AKA Roommates (Korea Thurs Viki) ep 5-6 of 8 - I love the side couple. It’s a shame we’re finally getting some truly great class conflict and it’s relegated to crumbs.

Love is like a Cat (Korea Mon Viki) eps 11-12fin - Well that was a waste of time. There was no connection (of any kind) between the leads. The language thing was hella weird and likely added to that. The past history of the Korean character was necessary to know from the start, its lack throughout, meant there was no depth to his character. They tried to tackle all the interesting stuff in the final 2 eps. AND they even killed the dog. I never thought I'd type this sentance, but Peach of Time is better.

I don’t know. 5/10 I guess

All in all:

A disappointing lackluster and barely cohesive BL about a jerk Thai actor (speaking Thai) who has to work for a Korean animal rescue cafe as a publicity stunt. It's difficult to believe the leads like each other, let alone fall in love. The acting is stiff, the characters lack motivation and cohesion, and there's not much to recommend this show beyond some pretty visuals. Also, they kill the dog. All in all, a disappointing and unsuccessful joint venture that mostly highlighted that between Thailand and Korea the style of BL, narrative approach, language cadence, and acting techniques all clash.

It's airing but...

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school. Not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing.

You Made My Day (Thai YT) ep 1 of 5 - mini series staring the I Will Knock You couple Tar & Bom, started but I couldn't find it. I also didn't try very hard.

A Balloon's Landing (Taiwan movie) trailer - A frustrated Hong Kong writer, Tian Yu, meets a Taipei street gangster, Xiang (Fandy Fan from HIStory2: Crossing the Line), and the two of them embark on a journey to find the Bay of Vanishing Whales. Along the way, they discover unexpected twists and turns and close bonds, which brings out the message that "there is always someone like you in this world who is waiting for you. This released to cinemas in Taiwan, no word on international release.

Memory in the Letter (Thai WeTV) - it's done, tell me if I should bother?

Fan's Only Corner

Someone asked in a comment (which tumblr promptly ate) about group sleepovers in BLs. It's happened a few times but the only one I can recall being noted and particularly lovely (and VERY college) was in Nitiman. There's also one in Lovesick.

Next Week Looks Like This:

5/16 Blossom Campus (Korea Thurs Gaga & iQIYI) ep 1 of 6 - Strongberry doing classic uni BL! Weeee!

5/19 OMG Vampire (Thai Sun ????) ep 1 of 10 - LeeFrank are back - not unlike the undead (as it were). But how do we feel about it? Unsure given their track record.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

May Releases

VBL (Taiwan) is releasing 4 'Special Episode' epilogues to their 4 2023 shows every Friday this month on Gagaoolala, Viki & Viu. Not sure on search terms or how to find these. (Or, frankly, if we need them.)

5/10 – You Are Mine

5/17 – VIP Only

5/24 – Stay By My Side

5/31 – Anti Reset

5/25 The Time of Fever AKA Unintentional Love Story 2 (Korea movie) trailer - HoTae & DongHee are back but unfortunately not in a cinema near me. Side couple from Unintentional Love Story, same actors, same character names. I love them. I NEED TO SEE THIS.

5/28 My Biker 2 (Thai movie YT?) - trailer

5/31 The Time of Huannan (Taiwan movie) - May not be BL

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

LOVE a smile kiss. Love it. Two killer kisses from PondPhuwin. Elegantly done, boys. Thank you very much.

I love them a lot all of a sudden. (All We Are)

It's hard to give MaxTul a run on their crown as best bodies in BL, but boy these two are giving it their, erm, best. (Wandee Goodday)

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a pain.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will add you to the template. Easy peesy.

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rosaliachristian · 17 days ago

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Saturday, February 15, 2025

Bishop Robert Barron

Cycle C

Ordinary Time

5th wk of Ordinary Time

Daily Reading

First Reading

Genesis 3:9-24

But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.”He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.”Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.”The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

To the woman he said,

“I will greatly increase your pangs in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

And to the man he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living. And the Lord God made garments of skins for the man and for his wife, and clothed them.

Then the Lord God said, “See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life.

Psalm

Psalm 90:2, 3-4abc, 5-6, 12-13

Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You turn us back to dust, and say, “Turn back, you mortals.” For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night. You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning; in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers. So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart. Turn, O Lord! How long? Have compassion on your servants!

Gospel Reading

Mark 8:1-10

In those days when there was again a great crowd without anything to eat, he called his disciples and said to them,“I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat.If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way—and some of them have come from a great distance.”His disciples replied, “How can one feed these people with bread here in the desert?”He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.”Then he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground; and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them to the crowd.They had also a few small fish; and after blessing them, he ordered that these too should be distributed.They ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.Now there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away.And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

Reflection

Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus feeds the crowd of four thousand, which is a wonderful biblical illustration of what I have often called the loop of grace.

The constant command of the Bible is this: what you have received as a gift, give as a gift—and you will find the original gift multiplied and enhanced. God’s grace, precisely because it is grace,cannot be held on to; rather, it is had only in the measure that it remains grace—that is to say, a gift given away. God’s life, in a word, is had only on the fly. One realizes this truth when one enters willingly into the loop of grace, giving away that which one is receiving.

At the outset of the story, the disciples refuse to serve the crowd, preferring to send them away to the neighboring towns to fend for themselves. At the climax of the narrative, the disciples become themselves the instruments of nourishment, setting the loaves and fishes before the people. Within the loop of grace, they discover their mission and are themselves enhanced, transfigured.

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peistudies · 2 years ago

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Personal Study Update

みなさん、久しぶりですね。元気でしたか？

朗報がありますよ。先に勉強やめましたけど、もう一度始めることにしました。

Basically, I stopped studying Japanese for 1.5 years. I started this blog on the same day I began studying Japanese, a little over 2.5 years ago. That means I’d actually halted my studies for longer than I’d been studying in the first place.

So, it’s safe to say my journey isn’t the most linear. I’ve noticed some weird improvements, like I don’t translate to english as much, reading clicks more (I’m reading coherent sentences, not just a bunch of words next to each other! who woulda thought?) and I realized I remembered more than I thought I would.

But still, there are obvious gaps in my memory and various weaknesses I had prior to pausing only really got worse. A lot of the vocab I once knew have been erased from my memory, with a faint ghost of it still there, for me to confuse with other words I almost remember.

However, I won’t let these setbacks bring me down. The advantage I have is that I’m studying Japanese for fun, and no amount of mistakes I make will ever take that joy away from me.

A few weeks ago I started casually studying again. Using Bunpro, I’ve reviewed all N5 grammar. Once I finished that, I realized that there’s still a lot of work to do, and it’s sitting in my face, waiting to get conquered so I can finally reach an intermediate level Japanese.

I’ve spent the last couple of days curating a new study routine for me to follow every day so that I not only catch up with N5 vocabulary quickly but also speed through N4.

I’m heavily relying on Bunpro for both grammar and vocabulary. Now that I have N5 grammar in the bag, I just need to complete N5 Vocabulary, N4 Grammar, and N4 vocabulary to reach this subgoal.

My daily routine:

1. Finish all WK reviews / Learn more

2. Finish all Bunpro reviews

3. Minimum 3 new (N4) grammar points on Bunpro. I’m using it to follow along with my Genki II textbook, despite the N4 grammar option, because I also have the Tobira textbook and would like my knowledge to follow the path of what I’d previously paid for lol.

For each grammar point (provided I don’t already know it) I write down the rules in my notebook, read the bunpro explanation AND my textbook explanation, and finish it off by listening and reading around 10 example sentences 3 times each. First time slow, second time normal speed, third time normal speed with english translation.

4. Learn 10 new N4 vocabulary words on Bunpro. I just need to learn them by the end of the day, so I may break this up to prevent brain fatigue.

5. Review 25 N5 words on Bunpro. I used to know them so I’m being kind of hard about it, as it’s easier to pick them back up.

6. I’ve forgotten a lot of basic N5 stuff, so I try to go over something I should know that Bunpro won’t hand to me in a deck format. For example, days of the month.

7. 1-5 are the bare minimum, but I also like to get in some reading, practicing writing, or watching a show in Japanese. Some supplementary/enrichment study.

I track myself with an app called Habit Tracker, since it’s a daily task list. It’s crucial to continue it daily! Why? Because I’m trying to significantly improve my Japanese and I gave myself a deadline: March 1st. By then, I should be confident in all areas of N5, know all of Genki II Grammar, and should know 360 more words from N4. That’s a lot to do in less than 5 weeks.

I’ll keep you guys updated! Can’t wait to post some more grammar/vocab stuff on here again!

#japanese #how to learn japanese #learn japanese #japanese studyblr #studyblr #日本語 #japanese beginner #japanese vocabulary #japanese grammar #japanese phrases

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love-bean · 4 years ago

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Spectacular - Part 3

hello duckies! here is part 3 for y’all on this fine day/night. i did cut a bit of the story out because it simply didn’t flow the way i wanted it to, but everything should still make sense. i also believe this is the longest part of the story in terms of words (i am long-winded) anywho, let’s get going!

wk: 1985

-o-o-o-o-o-

From then on, Benedict and Anastasia spent nearly every single day together, even after the season ended and winter began to take its hold. If Benedict was not calling on Anastasia, she was spending her afternoon in the Bridgertons’ drawing room under the guise of spending time with Eloise.

The truth was, she rather enjoyed spending time with Benedict instead. Every moment they spent together, she fell deeper and deeper in love with him. It wasn’t until one particular evening she realized just how far she had fallen.

Anastasia pulled her cloak tightly over her shoulders. Her body rattled with nervousness and excitement for her evening’s plans.

At precisely 9:15, a rock hit her bedroom window, signaling the arrival of her friend.

Anastasia took a deep breath and began her journey through the house, attempting to walk lightly so as to not alert her father and brothers of her late departure. She was nearly out the door to the backyard when she was startled by a voice.

“Miss Mackenzie?”

Freezing, Anastasia turned and found her own lady’s maid standing in front of her.

“Caroline,” she breathed in relief. “What are you doing up so late?”

“I was getting a glass of water, miss,” Caroline answered. “But I could ask you the same thing if it were my place.”

Anastasia sighed. She had met Caroline when she was merely thirteen, the same year she met the Bridgertons.

“I was going for a stroll in the garden,” she lied.

“At this hour? Are you well?” Caroline asked worriedly.

“Yes,” Anastasia breathed. “I am in need of some fresh air.”

“If you prefer, I shall accompany you? It is no trouble, really-”

“No, that will not be necessary,” she objected. “Thank you, Caroline. You may resume.”

“Of course, Miss,” Caroline said, bowing slightly.

Anastasia turned on her heel to leave, only to be stopped once more.

“Miss Mackenzie? Send Mr. Bridgerton my regards.”

Whipping around with wide eyes, Anastasia began to stutter out an excuse.

“I will not tell,” Caroline interrupted. “I shall never speak of this night or any other to another soul for as long as I shall live.”

The young lady sighed in relief when she saw her maid’s teasing smile.

“Off with you now, Miss,” Caroline dismissed with a loving wave.

With that, Anastasia pulled her hood over her head and slipped into the garden, where her escort for the night awaited.

“What took you so long? I thought we had been caught,” Benedict said.

“We have,” Anastasia scoffed, sliding her hand around his arm. “Caroline caught me leaving, but she swore to never speak of it.”

“If you trust her, I trust her,” he smiled, gently resting his free hand on hers.

She flushed slightly and looked at the world around them. “Where are we going, anyway?”

“We are going to visit a friend of mine, Henry Granville,” he replied.

“The artist?”

Benedict nodded. “I would like to show you the finer things in life. These are the privileges I enjoy as the second son.”

Soon, they arrived at a large house with candles lit in every window. Once they stepped inside, it was revealed that there were lots of people littering the hallways and rooms.

“Are you ready?” Benedict asked, his lips so close they caused a shiver to run through her.

She held onto his arm tighter and nodded, swallowing her anxiety.

As he led her through a house familiar to him, she witnessed all sorts of people doing all sorts of things. Some were engaging in conversation and drinking wine, others were participating in more lascivious activities. As they rounded a corner, they entered a room with two lovely models in the middle of a ring of artists, each sketching from their own point of view.

“You said you were curious as to where I had all my practice,” Benedict said, pulling her from her trance. “Here we are.”

“Mr. Bridgerton,” a man beamed as he approached the two. “How are you, my friend?”

“I am quite well. Yourself?” Benedict replied.

“I cannot complain,” the man teased. “And who is this?”

Anastasia swallowed as his eyes fell upon her.

“This is Anastasia,” Benedict grinned. “Ana, this is Sir Henry Granville.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Granville,” she said, bowing gracefully.

Henry gently took the hand that was not clinging to Benedict’s sleeve and kissed it. “The pleasure is all mine, Miss Mackenzie.”

Her face paled at the use of her surname.

“Please, enjoy our festivities,” Henry said, gesturing to a few empty stools with sketch pads in front of them.

He disappeared without another word, tending to other guests elsewhere.

“I do quite enjoy his company,” Benedict commented as he led her to the easels.

“He is quite lovely,” she agreed. “Ben, I am glad you have decided to share this part of your life with me, but if anyone were to find out where I am tonight…”

Benedict looked toward her and found a nervous frown taking over her features. He stopped walking and placed a gentle hand on either side of her face, cradling it like the most precious gem in the world.

“Not to worry, tulip,” he comforted. “Henry is very good at keeping this a secret. There is not a person here who would care enough to sully our reputations, nor their own.”

A small smile turned up the corners of her mouth as she leaned into his touch.

“If you trust him, I trust him,” she repeated a version of his words from earlier in their night.

He pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead and immediately recoiled.

“That was improper,” he said. “Please accept my sincerest apologies.”

“Everything we are doing tonight is improper,” she smiled. “I should think an innocent kiss the least of our worries.”

He flashed her a fond, lopsided grin and grabbed her hand, leading her to a pair of easels.

“I am not much of an artist. I prefer music,” she said. “Might I simply watch you work?”

“If you must,” he chuckled, flushing slightly.

For hours, Anastasia watched Benedict sketch with intent focus. She took note of every feature of his face; every line, every mark, every beautiful expression committed to her memory.

“You do have a bit of a problem with staring, tulip.”

Anastasia blushed as Benedict glanced sideways at her, stifling a smirk.

“I do believe I was staring at your artwork,” she lied.

“I do believe you were not,” he mocked.

As she tried to stutter out a response for the second time that evening, he chuckled.

“It is quite alright,” he hummed. “I am almost done and then we may leave.”

“I do not wish to leave so soon,” she objected. “I quite like it here. It is a very relaxing atmosphere. Very different from the ton.”

“I am glad you are enjoying yourself,” he laughed. “Perhaps Mr. Granville will allow us to stay for a while when I finish.”

Fortunately, Henry had absolutely no problem with the duo sitting about.

“Stay all night if you like,” he laughed before turning to Anastasia. “Any friend of Mr. Bridgerton is a friend of mine.”

She bowed her head respectfully with a sweet smile.

As Henry left them, Benedict slid his hand around Anastasia’s and led her to a sofa near a window.

It was dark outside when their conversation began. They talked of their childhoods, their aspirations, their insecurities. There was never an awkward silence like they had felt so many times with other people. Occasionally, a lull occurred in which they would stare at each other in silent revelry.

“Alright,” Benedict said after one of those moments as he leaned forward slightly and placed his hand on one of hers. “I must ask, however improper it may be: when am I allowed to begin courting you?”

“What is the date?” she asked.

“I believe it is the third of April,” he answered.

She hummed. “My late husband passed on the tenth, so you may begin courting me on the eleventh.”

“And when shall I propose marriage?”

“When you feel the time is right,” she replied, heart racing.

“I want to be sure you feel the same as I do,” he said firmly. “I refuse to trap you in another loveless marriage.”

She stared at him. “My marriage to George was not loveless.”

“Surely you cannot convince me you were in love with a man technically old enough to be your father.”

“I was not in love with him, that much is true,” she agreed. “However, that does not mean that I did not love him. He catered to my every want and need. He was gentle, and caring, and more than I could have asked for in an arrangement such as ours. We were not in love, that is for sure. But we did have an incredible fondness for one another, and should I have the option to bring him back and do it all again, I would in a heartbeat.”

Another silence fell over them as he stared at the woman in front of him. He was in awe at how mature she had become since they had met not five years ago. Her elegance and poise was far beyond that of any other girl her age, yet she was still as sharp and witty as she had been in the beginning of her friendship with his dear younger sister.

“I apologize,” he said quietly. “I knew nothing of your marriage, and it was wrong of me to assume anything, let alone vocalize it.”

“It is alright, Ben,” she affirmed, squeezing the hand that still held her own. “I am sure you did not mean any ill will.”

She moved closer to him so that she may lower her voice as if she was telling him her deepest secret.

“There shall be no doubts about my feelings toward you, Benedict,” she said, her expression very serious. “When you feel the time is right, you may propose to me. I will not turn you down.”

“If it were not improper, I would kiss you,” he whispered, mesmerized.

“If it were not improper, I would give you my permission,” she whispered back.

He swallowed. “I suppose no one shall see us if my lips happened upon yours.”

“I agree.”

While Benedict could never have been considered innocent, he was not a rake, and he did not wish to compromise anyone’s reputation, certainly not that of his beloved Anastasia. But under the relaxed atmosphere of the studio and the gentle warmth of firelight, he found himself doing something he would only dream of: he was leaning forward.

And to his surprise, Anastasia was doing the same.

The pair’s lips met in a sweet, tender union of passion and love. They poured their feelings to one another in complete silence, moving in sync. There was no rushing, no pressure, no wanting to move any further than they had already gone.

Yet, they pulled away breathless.

“I shall not tell my brothers if you do not tell yours,” Anastasia whispered, giggling slightly.

“I shall keep that a secret for the rest of my days,” Benedict promised. “I should like to propose to you right now if I knew you would accept.”

“Perhaps my family and yours will think it odd that you would propose without a proper courting,” she quipped.

“Perhaps they will,” he hummed, looking upon her fondly.

She glanced out the window to see the sky beginning to pale in color and, with a short sigh, reluctantly rose from the sofa.

“Come,” she said, offering her hand. “Walk me home before daylight comes and my brothers wake to find me gone.”

“They would never know where to find you,” he replied, rising as well.

“Yes, but you shall be the first place they look, and I do wish to keep you alive.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

there we go! very cute, very roughly edited, as always. there will be one more part and then the little epilogue, which is about 500 or so words. i have written a bit with eloise heavily involved, but that’s only like 600 words. but that will probably end up being a little bonus part. let me know what you think!

#benedict bridgerton #benedict bridgerton fic #bridgerton #bridgerton netflix #jo writes #jo speaks #jo tries really hard

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absolutebl · 1 year ago

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This Week in BL - It's 2024 & I'm talking about TayNew... really?

(They pretty much told us all to sit down and shut tf up, 'cause they got this. AND THEY DO.)

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Feb 2024 Wk 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube grey) ep 9 of 12 - I broke. In my defense, it was Monday, I needed comfort, and TayNew were right tf there. Ya know what? They are great in this show. It's a great adaptation. I might like it more than the JBL live action. You know why? Really, honestly WHY...?

That was a PHENOMENAL KISS. Those boys did Thailand fucking proud. They did fandom a solid. Thank you OGs for reminding us how it's done. I was getting used to SloppyHot. And SloppyHot has its place, but that TayNew rooftop kiss was a top tear class act. It was tender and sweet and respectful and joyful. It was eye work and breath work and years of practice. How very far BL has come while still staying so much the same. TayNew - I salute you!

(Read all about distribution issues here.)

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 12fin - we waiting, I guess? Bah.

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 11 of 12 - The recipe book thing was so damn cute and I love a claiming. YOU KNOW I LOVE A CLAIMING!

In fact, I love OffGun.

I love food based BL.

I adored seeing a reboot of "the infamous dragging".

But I don’t love anything else about this show. Sigh.

1000 Years Old ep 1 of 12 - Finally we get our gay vampire BL from Feel Good Bangkok. Stars Shane (My Engineer) and fresh face Opal, directed by Champ (2gether). It’s kind of odd but enjoyable. A group of teen UFO seekers find a vampire instead. Opal looks a bit like a mix between Newnu + Leo (VIXX) - so cute + edge. Also, nice to see Shane again on our screens after so long.

Finally, I like the subtle (and sometimes not subtle) presence of ghosts permeating this show. Do the friends know she's there? Do they know she's dead? Is the existence of paranormal accepted but not that of aliens? Or are the two combined? Is this lazy writing or just fun world building? Who cares! It's enjoyable.

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 12fin - the nail painting bit was very cutie queers and I've not seen it done in BL before, so that was nice. For some reason captions never dropped for me on this last episode, but it didn’t really matter. Not much happened and I understood everything anyway.

Quick pitch?

From the people who brought us Unforgotten Night based on a y-novel, about a young man nursing a heartbreak who has a one-night stand, but the other boy didn't want it to end. This turned out to be a pulp that wasn’t half as good as it should have been and even less memorable, but not terrible. 5/10 DON'T BOTHER unless you're v bored

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 3 of 12 - Oh it is such a pulp: the acting is not good and the script is terrible. Of course, I’m mildly enjoying it. Very good dream kissing. There's something appealing about these main characters - I think it's the moot crushes. We rarely get to see that. These days everything feels very one sided, this... isn't.

A Secretly Love (Thai WeTV) - Khonprot, a third-year hazer of the engineering faculty, has a secret crush on Pluem, a tsundere fourth-year head hazer. Over the years, he's seen Pluem cycle through girlfriends. Recently, after a public breakup, however, Khonprot thinks maybe a boy has a chance.

I tried but I can't get into my WeTV account anymore and I'm way too lazy to figure it out. I'll catch it grey if I can, since I've rebooted the bootlegging side of my BL life for Cherry Magic anyway.

So this show may stay in this section, or I may bump it down to "it's airing but..."

If anyone is watching it, let me know if it's good?

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Love For Love's Sake (Korea Weds iQIYI) 7-8fin - Ugh it was GREAT, despite some pretty telling flaws. I ended up feeling like some of the filming was amateurish (very overworked low angles - director's first feature, I assume), and the narrative is a little disjoined and on the nose, AND the subs are clumsy (which I don't expect from KBL) BUT I still loved it. (FYI - I wouldn't be so harsh on a BL for this kinda thing except one from Korea.)

Quick pitch:

This isekai-based KBL is about a man who must win a game by convincing a reserved teen outcast to fall in love with him. Of course, that teen represents himself and his own unhappiness. Like many queer narratives, this show is actually about self worth, trust, and found family, and it is VERY on the nose. But I don’t expect subtlety from my BL and I enjoyed it's truly lovely redemption arc and earnest performances. While I found the narrative a touch disjointed with overworked filming angles and poorer than average captions, this is certainly much better than early KBL in terms of consistency of tone, script, and immersion. Highly rewatchable and charming, which counts for a lot. 9/10

Trigger warning for suicide depicted.

Perfect Propose (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 4 of 6 - Gosh, it’s so lovely. But I do just constantly want to give them both hugs.

AntiReset (Taiwan Fri Viki/Gaga) ep 4 of 10 - Oh look, Taiwan has created yet another BL where I spend most of the time watching it grinning like an idiot. Surprise surprise. The pet name thing was fucking adorable. Also Taiwan once more proving they come by their "kings of kissing" title honestly. I mean to say. In a week of good kisses this one was just... WOW.

On the other hand, some of the underpinning themes are starting to v worry me (ownership, consent, age), and we only just got started, and I don't trust this production company so... I have concerns.

But also... YAY KISSES!

(I'm made of weak moral fiber.)

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 6 of 10 - Like many other shows on this list. I just enjoy it the most when the two leads are on screen together. So this episode was kind of lacking because they were apart for most of it. I also am starting to agree with the tone of the plot, that maybe they ARE better off as friends not lovers. (And I'm sure I'm not supposed to want that.) Oh Japan, must you?

My Strawberry Film (Japan Gaga) ep 1 of 8 - Oh it’s good. In the arthouse lane so don’t expect sweetness & light or an HEA. If there’s no cartoon aspect to a JBL, there’s usually no joy. But it is certainly good. Teens uncover some old film and a mystery around a pretty girl. The background music is wildly annoying (and rarely in the background).

It's Done

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - will binge when I have any spare time. 2024 is crazy busy for me so far.

The Servant and the Young Master - from Vietnam, it's on YouTube. I will give it a try when I have a window of time.

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) - A Burmese BL? @heretherebedork vouched for it, so I will give it a watch.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) - Gave me Luminous Solution vibes have decided not to watch.

It's Airing But...

Dead Friend Forever (Thai iQIYI) - rumors are it's interesting. I'm waiting to know how it ends.

Ossans Love Season 2 (Japan Gaga) - 5 years later, will anything have changed? This is Japan so… probubly not. I won't be watching this. I disliked Season one and actively hated the follow ups. No thank you.

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 14 eps - Dear Playboyy, it's not you, it’s me… I hate you. You’re about as deep (and as palatable) as a shot glass of cum. While I'm sure you’re someone’s kink, you're my weakest link. Goodbye. I DNFed this at ep 5. Frankly I'm impressed with myself for getting that far.

Time the series (Tue Gaga/YT) 10 eps - dropped it at ep 4.

Next Week Looks Like This:

2/24 Unknown (Taiwan Youku) 12 eps - Older brother tough guy breadwinner looks after his sister and defacto adopted little brother. Little bother falls in love with him and is sent away after a stolen kiss. But when he comes back…

Sam Lin has a cameo so even if I wasn't already excited, I'm in. We should be on our guard though, Taiwan will occasionally go edgy, dark, and sad... this could go there.

One assumes GMMTV is filling in the BL time slot with something queer on their YT Channel after Cooking Crush ends, they gonna lose subs if they don't. But I've not been paying attention to the chatter so I don't know which of their line-up it will be. I think G4 are filming/off radar now, and Earth is in that het noona thing? Plus they gotta sort out the IP for MIx-Up and Ossen. So it won't be one of the announced adaptations. They'll hold My Golden Blood for the high season, so I think it'll be one of the lesser known lead-outs. Wandee or Only Boo maybe? But they only just started filming those. Are we getting our long awaited GL? Anything else left from 2023 that I forgot about?

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Two crawling kisses from Thailand this week. Now this is a fetish I didn't know I had. Turns out, we love this one! (*waves hand in air* I speak for all of us now.)

Cooking Crush

City of Stars

Possibly the best tsundere to cinnamon roll pivot we've had in a long time.

Also the best asshole to KING pivot. Could we have a whole drama staring this character now? Please?

And finally our sunshine learning to love himself.

SIGH. what a lovely show.

And a good SMILEY kiss from a KBL.

And then some cute cuddles? Korea is spoiling me these days. I'm catching expectations now. What's next? Japan learns to kiss in their light BLs? Ha! I kill me.

(All Love for Love's Sake).

(Last week)

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absolutebl · 1 year ago

Text

This Week in BL - Alan & Jeff Forever!

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Jan 2024 Wk 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 10 of 12 - I am a little concerned that this is getting too big for its britches, rather like Phaya’s recently recovered snake… shall we say? Adding in yet another character at this juncture isn’t the best idea. Still, I love how this show makes me cackle laugh with grandmas + Yai and then TENSION.

It’s a wobbly kind of balance but a balancing act is happening nonetheless. It makes the pacing of this show good. It may be all over the place but I'm never bored.

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 11 of 14 - No trash talk this week, I was charmed & delighted. Who knew I would actually enjoy this show? Certainly not me. (not much of a...) Trash watch happening here.

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 8 of 12 - I am pretty much skipping most of the 3 chef friends, and all of the side dish action (sorry Neo). And with OffGun apart for most of this ep, it didn’t hold together since they are the glue. Sigh.

Last Twilight (Fri YT) ep 12fin - Okay let’s talk about it.

Mhok should have gone off with someone else. Day treated him like shit and never once apologized. To assume an apology isn’t necessary is to pity Day in the exact way he didn’t want. (On a complete aside, one of my favorite Thai restaurants back in my mispent youth was in Hilo, HI… ah memories) meanwhile the "passing escalators trope" activated in the land of malls (it’s been a while my old friend).

Anygay, I hold that Mohk was not a fault and Day was the one who needed to apologize.

Although they did have one of BL's BEST ever face touch moments.

In conclusion:

The story of a blind man and his caregiver falling in love. Mark is great. JimmySea are spectacular. The support cast is GMMTV-good. And for the first 3/4 this BL was something rather special. But it was let down by its ending (for which I entirely blame the author). In order to like this show you must buy into the premise that Mhok was in the wrong and caused their breakup. If you don’t believe that, you won’t like this BL. Also "fixing a disability = true happiness" is gross messaging. For me, endings counts for a lot and this one was ultimately “happy” but felt like a failure. 7/10 and I was sorely tempted to go as low as a 6/10, so it should count itself lucky

I dithered my darling BLabies... I dithered A LOT over this one. But JimmySea alone held this one up.

GMMTV we gotta talk. You're fielding some of the world's best pairs right now. It's time to get them equally good scripts.

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 9 of 12 - This installment had too much of the side couple in it. Although it was nice to see First/Dream (Twins) again. He's still a cutie, even playing a straight.

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) ep 23 of 24 - I have to say I’m very glad we are on the last installment of the series. Narcissistic hairdresser starts seeing a spirit in a mirror. Turns out to be a friend from his youth who he thought was dead. This one is kinda sweet, and I find the premise interesting. Is the kid actually dead and a spirit? Or is there something else going on? I am intrigued. And I like the actor playing the kid in the mirror. I suspect this will be sad tho.

Time the series (Thai Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - I don’t exactly know what is going on. And frankly I don’t particularly care, either. So far nothing seems to be happening, and I really intensely dislike one half of the main couple. DNF welcome 2024 here we go

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Love For Love's Sake (Korea Weds iQIYI) 1-2 of 8 - based on the Manhwa Love Supremacy Zone by Hwacha (they should have kept the original title). I adore the premise. IRL person has been sent into fictional universe to save a side character from doom. Fantastic. Every fanfic author's dream. Also, I love that our POV was the bad boy in high school so there’s also a redemption arc going on. I adore this kind of isekai (if you wanna call it that). Puppy/cat pairing too!

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - Oh my goodness they too cute. Basically dating. Although only one of them realizes it, and he is such a drama queen. It’s GREAT. Also they are both so damn gay. I love the supportive bestie trying to cope with the girl who has a crush on his gay bff.

Happy Ending (Korea Tues YT) 1 of 3 - Strongberry is back and it’s very them and very atmospheric and cute. I’m enjoying it.

Sahara-sensei to Toki-kun (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 7 of 8 - Japan giveth and Japan taketh away again. Look, I just like the lost love teacher/teacher couple better. I'm assuming they'll have to do a time jump in the final episode to make this one work at all.

I am SO GLAD we have KBLs back on our screens.

It's done

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - will binge when I have any spare time. 2024 is crazy busy for me so far.

The Servant and the Young Master - from Vietnam so I assume it's on YouTube. I never even noticed. Anyone?

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) - Is TRUST Entertainment bringing us the first ever Burmese BL? I don't know if it's really the first, but @heretherebedork vouched for it, so I will give it a watch through.

Beside You (Thai ????) - a 3 ep short that's supposed to have aired but I can't find it.

It's Airing But...

[NO INTERNATIONAL] Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube) ep 3 of 12 - yeah Japan put the smack down on our boys. Sadness. You can use a VPN if you like. Read all about it here.

The Whisperer (Sun ????) 10 eps - Ends next week. Thai horror BL that ALSO involves cheating (what joy is mine). I don't think even the perfect single dimple can motivate me to watch. Word is... it's terrible.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) 10 eps - Giving me Luminous Solution vibes. I'm waiting to binge if safe.

Dead Friend Forever (Thai Sat iQIYI) - horror, meh, tell me if it's worth my time?