#they genuinely seem to love each other and whether or not thats romantically/sexually its beautiful

[secriden]

oh my gosh babe, no this is the absolute OPPOSITE of annoying i love LOVE it when people interact this way!! this is like the best part of fandom-- sort of dipping your toes into something, and then having someone friendly and nice be like 'LET ME SHOW YOU THE RICHES OF THIS KINGDOM'! *u* <3 (i have no idea who haobin is but I *think* I get the idea. xD)

re: Daou's enlistment

thank you for explaining the thai enlistment thing! but also...wow, daou was enlisted but still got time off to film Love in Translation? and do promotions? that's kind of cool (in that he could keep his career alive even while enlisted), although also sound so hard having to stay fit for military training. one of my good friends is in the infantry and the training is so brutal. but the buzz cut makes sooo much more sense now. i was wondering at the odd choice cuz its so 'rough and tumble' for the thai bl industry. although it definitely has its own aesthetic appeal.

all i know is that the whole clip where offroad jumps into daou's arms when he's in military fatigues is like... what kind of fanfic my lover who I thought was lost on the battlefield has returned to me scene am i watching come to life right now?? i could practically hear the swelling orchestral music. *w*

re: pentor & diamond

YES I made the connection about pentor shortly after i posted my reaction post. xDDD I'm still reeling from that. I really really really hope that if Mame decides to make Love Sand into a show that they recast Pentor. He was hilarious and I really enjoyed his scenes and he's SO SO handsome in that soft kind of winsome way. I WANT TO PROTECT HIM. Also I'm insanely intrigued by the way FortPeat seemed to be familiar/know Pentor fairly well in the BTS of Love Sea and I'm just wondering how?? like I'm wondering if its just from workshops or if they already have like an early friendship cuz of the overall tight knit thai bl actor community.

ohhh I'll check Diamond out! Are Laz1 broken up now that DaouOffroad are kind of focusing on their acting careers and Pentor is off doing another survival show?? IDK how I feel about him going the kpop route tho-- cuz he wouldn't have time for acting if he's going to be in training for kpop.

re: Daou's background/singing

oh damn ok if he's had Chinese opera training that explains how he can hit those insane high notes. like his range is .... very impressive. but yeah just off the few clips i've seen, it does seem like he hasn't been taught to really support very well? although i'm by no means an expert, but he seems to have a lot of tension in his throat when he's in that transitional zone between the mid to high range. then he nails the highest register cuz that may be the opera training kicking in. his singing kind of fascinates me - i wonder if i can find any videos of like a professsional singer analysing his singing style. :O

LOL WAIT DID DAOU RELEASE A SONG ABOUT THE WHOLE PHI/NONG thing??? or is that a cover of a song that already exists? I didn't realise phi/nong excludes romantic implications tho?? i kind of assumed it was kind of like the korean "oppa" which, yes can be used for biological siblings but also works for like a gf/bf (bf/bf) situation. :O its hilarious that he posted a whole ass clip in reaction to that tho. xD Their sense of humour/dynamic is so different from what I'm used to (ok mostly fortpeat) and i love it in its own way. xDDD

The use of the English partner is interesting. Like fortpeat use partner too but I think they mostly use it in thai (hmmm... I need to rewatch some interviews, maybe I'm wrong about this). I wonder if that's like a bl industry staple to avoid having to confirm/deny relationships. Cuz partner works for "professional/acting" and "romantic" relationships.

although idk how much they're trying to "hide" when they have apparently literally eXCHANGED RINGS ALREADY WTF. XD

what... what was offroad expecting?? did he think daou was going to feel the ring through the tissue or something? xD

also daou showing off the ring has the same vibe as fort (peat gave fort a ring a while back and he's quite intentional about wearing it at specific events and standing in such a way that draws attention to his hands when he doesn't really do that at events where he doesn't wear that specific ring ((although its a bit different cuz fp's aren't meant to be couple rings idt... its just a gift that peat gave fort))).

SO i've never heard of lakorns before. :O I looked it up and it says "thai soap opera" so like... basically the thai equivalent of a latin american telenovela? super dramatic and potential for unhinged family story beats?? xD how intriguing. I don't think I've seen a Thai before but I did grow up watching the Indonesian/Malay/Indian versions of these types of shows and I have very fond memories of them. I wonder what that looks like in a bl tho :O

....the one with the fox???? *so confused* I tried googling "century of love fox" and got this (which cracked me up):

*does a bit more digging*

OH. O_O I... I see.

re: the whole discussion about fanservice/"ship"

OK... OKAY yeah i can kind of see why DaouOffroad may be... has quite a bit of evidence. Damn, ok, Daou just saying "its not fanservice" with his whole entire chest is a lot. "It make me upset when people assume that". WOW.

But I actually really like the point he's making about how .... dismissive it can be to assume that it IS fanservice. I've never seen that take before, and it's very thought provoking. I think (although cmiiw please!), he's kind of making the point that implicit in the idea that they're "just doing fanservice" or "its all just for show" is the assumption of heteronormativity which on a fundamental level counteracts something they maybe feel strongly about in terms of representation. Like for them, its important that people not assume that they aren't a genuine couple.

I guess the whole "it's really not our business either way" is a good rule to follow because that kind of stops both extremes.

[Note: I personally don't like it when fans get overly invested with specific couples to the point of pressuring the people to act certain ways or getting mad if they interact with other people... cuz that's the other end of the toxic fandom space that made me leave the kpop fandom years ago. But Daou still makes an excellent point that I've never really considered before and that's so cool and very thought provoking. Hmmm.]

But on the other OTHER hand-- yes, your honour, me thinks they are in love. /sCREAMS

an introduction to daouoffroad: a record (mostly for me)

so, the lovely @luthienmpl was very kind and gave me a daouoffroad starter pack so i'm gonna learn about them!

i adore finding out about something this way because it's like someone shared their love of The Thing with me! how lovely! how lucky to catch a glimpse of how much joy The Thing gives someone else!!

this is literally just random stream of consciousness thoughts as i watch the videos so i'll spare anyone who isn't interested and put it under a cut.

oh my god they met as contestants on a survival boyband show wtf!? what kind of fanfic kdrama au start is this already!?

ok damn but daou's runs tho :O <3

nooooooo offroad is crying and thanking daou for his support how dARE YOU TOY WITH MY HEART LIKE THIS!? ;A;

ohmygosh is that the actress who plays P'Joy in LITA??? <3

fuck, the pressing the face into the tummy of the one standing thing. why is that so cute. ugh D:<

waitwaitWAIT is that a thing? do directors just... write stories/shows for couples who have good chemistry whatttt?? is this like a thai ent industry staple? (oh i guess mame kind of did that with fortpeat/mutrak) that's so funny omg. xDDD

laz1 is so kpop styled :O and i must add Last Kiss to my playlist imMEDIATELY its such a pretty song?? <3333

thiS BRIDGE i AM FEELING IT!?!?! DAOU WHAT IS THAT RIFF!?!??! HOLY SHIT THAT WAS SUCH A SMOOTH TRANSITION UP TO THE HIGH NOTE!? *O* <3

(was daou already an established singer before or something?? boy has pIPES!)

*faintly* d-did he try to... bite... the cat's... paw??

/SCREAMS nO THE HARMONIES yeah ok i'm a fan weLP THA TWAS QUICK

(i'm such a sucker for vocal line groups ugh dammit TwT)

wait, enlistment?? huh i did not know thailand also did that... is it the same as skorea?

oh-- oh my god he sent flowers? through his sister?? *whispers* that's so sweet ;u;

goodness, offroad literally running and jumping into daou's arms while daou is still in military fatigues-- guys this is either zero attempt at being subtle or the best cp marketing i've seen in my life wow

awww did offroad bring his graduation gown to the event just so he could get pics with daou?? that's so cute! ;A;

okAY SIR?? SIR NO the sleeping right pressed up to offroad as he pretends to snore but like daou is just paSSED OUT HALF ON TOP OF HIm NO SIR NO I CANNOT HANDLE THIS NOPE BYE

(the cut right as daou reaches up to shut offroad up had me cracking up tho, they've got a wicked sense of humour i really like them)

ahahahah the members playing along is really cute!! poor daou has to be relegated to the "jealous bf" -- this is SO interesting to watch coming out of old kpop fandom and kpop skinship to this xD like... i am enLIGHTEND *O*

*cries* what is this... poolside actual love confession proposal with rings and pLANNING to commemorate their.. working.. relationship!?!? i'm??? they are so LOUD wtf-- i'm not... used to this... !?! *incoherent noises*

sidebar: i'm struggling to get a handle on their honorifics... are they phi/nong? but sometimes dauo sounds like he's using mueng/guu when he addresses offroad directly?

ljsdfjsLfj THE FACE. IN THE TUMMY. ITS BACK <3

OH FUCK OFFROAD WITH THE ASH HAIR. *O* YEAH YEAH OKOKOK i'M NORMAL ABOUT THIS!!!!

oh oh NO did daou just push offroad to the inside of the road so he's on the outside like that's--t hat's so boyfriend coded wtf

bahahaHAHAH is offroad going on about the bracelet because now daou *has* to buy one for him? xD what a smart cookie. xDDD

wAIT DID IT WORK!? PAHAHA--

other thoughts:

pentor looks SO FAMILIAR and i can't figure out why??? ;A; is he in something else?? i'm so confused but i think i love him already WHAT AN ADORABLE DIMPLED BOI *O*

i know you included the Whats The Matter? MV but I'm sorry I'm going to live in Last Kiss for like the next 5 days especially thAT BRIDGE WTF <3

the acoustic/live version is so PRETTY omg ;A; that 3 part harmony in the first chorus *chefs kiss*

sOMEONE is doing like a really high harmony in the pre-chorus and its so thin and wispy and pRETTY ahhh <3

although also ngl i think daou needs maybe some more vocal training he sounds quite strained sometimes... and he's got a lot of tension in his throat but good GOD his range!! he's SO talented wtf; ALSO their youngest member has SUCH a nice tone UGH <33333

their 2 shows:

ok love in translation actually sounds like exactly my cup of tea hahahah it looks so cute <3 and potentially heartbreaking but like not TOO heartbreaking

century of love... yeah ok i'm gonna put that on my list of things to get to when i'm in the right headspace for that kind of angst but what an interesting concept!! its like comphet, the series. xD

wait both their shows are comphet the series? xDDDD they just swapped who was suffering from it.

hoboy they are SO LOUD already from the beginning wtf

(sidenote but I would KILL for fortpeat to go on something like this cAN YOU IMAGINE the sHINANIGANS!! peat being so happy at all the food. fort's teasing. ugh. where can i start a petition ya'll)

the heIGHT DIFFERENCE am i'm feeling some type of way about it, yes yes i am

bAHAHAH the mandatory piggyback ride that they actually just SAY is boyfriend material i'm-- i'm not use do this lack of wink wink nudge nudge skinship approach in my boyband duos like?? *confused noises pt 2*

oh oh my gosh they have auntie fans too??? how adorableeeee!!!?! damn offroad sounds so soft in southern dialect idk whats going on my ears are blessed *u* <3

I don't know why but daou's "Try traditional snack!" made me crack up xDDDD

i have just realised what a mistake it was to start this on an empty stomach T___T that all looks SO GOOD wtf

lol that poor lady with the corgi's just wanted to go on her way and she got way-landed by these insane boys xDD

wft the nUZZING INTO THE NECK THING. IT S STILL. SO MUCH. IHAVE FEELIGNS ABOUT THIS MOMENT Tu T <3

guYS-- GUYS you said you both paid half... so you don't... you don't still need to do the cheek kisse-- oh nevermind you did them already ok then

i mean ok but for real tho the amount of times offroad just cracks up at somethign random daou does is genuinely really sweet?? like they seem to really have this wavelength that is just their own *u*

[spicybylerpolls]

so i think most people who are anti foah on here (including any discussion of noah and finn at all, even their work together) are not worried about us speculating on like whether there's feelings involved - because you can be attracted to someone or acknowledge their beauty without feelings - but rather they think that discussing them at all is almost like... i dont know, gossiping? or talking behind someone's back?

like, especially portraying a romantic relationship on screen, it would be very childish to still act disgusted by a co-star just to stop people around you saying 'ooooooh'... wouldnt it? unless you are genuinely repulsed by someone, once you become an adult you typically dont act that way. you get to an age where you can straight up say 'yeah, that person is beautiful' or attractive or what not, and you can say that about friends too, without anyone thinking you are falling in love with them.

i really remember the harry potter cast doing this and it was such a joy to see them grow up and acknowledge these things rather than just blush in interviews and pretend they never had crushes on each other.

or if you genuinely are repulsed by someone, you would deal with that in a mature way. especially if you were working professionally - i mean youre doing a job, but that still involves emotion and both disgust and attraction could be part of that.

i know the duffers hammed up the kiss between finn and millie, but hopefully that was cos they were kids (i didnt love that they did that, though we will never have full context), and hopefully for byler everything would be treated with respect. that also doesnt mean you totally lose the excitement and juice - love and attraction turns people of all ages into puddles - but rather that it is also still just a scene, and treated like any other scene, in service to the story.

for example, why is it taboo for an actor to be totally into a love scene, but not totally excited and joyful doing a scene on a ferris wheel or biking down a hill? why is there shame in the natural emotive expression, even when performing? and why is there shame in us discussing or anticipating that? we are essentially being spectators of the joy of human emotion - its why people love stories. stories are designed to make us think these people are real. why are characters, intrinsically, any different to real people in terms of the way we interact with them?

is it because they cannot be touched by us and we cant hurt them?

yes. but that leads us back to the nuance of shipping two irl actors and discussing human behaviour. this blog is unlikely to reach finn or noah. we are discussing them in relation to mike and will, not paparazzi'ing them outside their homes. this isn't a tabloid. its a tumblr blog.

maybe there are some people who edit together miniscule interview moments and invent fictions between real people. but again thats very different to just picking up on human behaviour and discussing it, as two people would over dinner, when they realise their mutual friends have got a thing going on.

i also think noah being gay brings a lot of discomfort to people because there is not even that plausible deniability of he and finn just doing a job. but like, he might he enjoy it? but so might finn? if they do, why is that bad? why can't they be professional AND enjoy it? just like they would filming a scene biking down a hill?

so my point is that people who are anti foah seem to be anti any discussion of finn and noah, even re: their work. they somehow can't separate this kind of discussion about creating art and being human from the juvenile idea of harassing two actors, despite the time-honoured human enjoyment of talking about other humans.

and re: finn's sexuality, the most common poll answer is... i dont have enough info to speculate. WELL DUH. thats why its called speculation? if you had enough info, you would have a solid answer lmao! its like byler evidence all over again. thousands of pages of tiny things that could be evidence, when all you need is one solid reason why they'll have a romance, like the way they look at each other, or, i dont know, the narrative itself?

wow this has got so out of hand. im going to end here lmaoooooooo

all very fascinating points, nonny!

[merriconstance]

That Time I Wrote an Essay About Gelphie

I wrote this essay at like 1 A.M. so enjoy lmao

Wicked is perhaps one of the most well-known and best contemporary musicals. It's known for its powerful storytelling, outstanding music, and intriguing, morally grey characters. It opened on Broadway in 2003 and is still running today, as well as productions in other countries. However, the standard audience is unaware of the romance-coding (although if you, like me, are a flaming homosexual obsessed with musicals, it's pretty easy to tell) with the characters Glinda and Elphaba.

First and foremost, romance-coding is when two characters of the same gender are coded to be in a romantic relationship. It's often confused with queer-coding. However, romance-coding is a bit different. Characters can be coded as romantic regardless of sexuality, gender, or sex. Neither Glinda nor Elphaba are coded as queer, necessarily, but instead coded romantically. If you want to learn more about it, I recommend Rowan Ellis' videos.

Glinda and Elphaba initially clash, loathing each other. However, the song itself, What is This Feeling, has some rather queer undertones. It was written as a parody of standard love songs, with lyrics such as “My pulse is rushing, my head is reeling, my face is flushing. What is this feeling?” However, both girls come to the conclusion that it’s loathing. While that seems like a conclusive end, it could actually very easily be read as a misdiagnosis of the situation. If one of them were a man, most people would definitely read it this way.

Glinda does most of what she does for the attention and praise, which could be relevant to the line, "Was I seeking good or just seeking attention? Is that all good deeds are when looked at through an ice cold eye?" in No Good Deed. Glinda can be rather shallow, and while she does have a good heart, she is undoubtedly superficial at first.

One of the most important things about Glinda to note is that her first actual good deed she did, not for the approval of others, was dancing with Elphaba at Fiyero’s party while everybody else stands aside and laughs.

However, after Fiyero's party, the too get over their fit of "loathing" and become best friends. Thus, Popular.

Do I even have to explain Popular? I think the line, "Why, Miss Elphaba. Look at you. You're beautiful," speaks for itself. Glinda is the most earnest she's been in the musical during this scene. She hadn't even done much, just taken Elphaba's hair of her braid and stuck a flower in there. I don't think it's that far of a stretch to think she thought this even before Popular.

My next talking point is Defying Gravity. Defying Gravity is possibly the most iconic contemporary musical theatre song. Even those who have never listened to a single musical likely know of this song.

Glinda and Elphaba fight, neither of them being able to see the others perspective. Glinda thinks Elphaba should apologize, get in good with the wizard, and slowly make changes from the inside, even if it means compromising her morals. Elphaba can’t stand to do this.

Elphaba laments about how she’s changed and this is no longer what she wants, and that she needs to make a change herself.

Then, in the main part of the song, Elphaba tells Glinda to kiss her goodbye. How much more explicit can it get? They even kiss in the novel it’s based on, but don’t worry guys, they aren’t gay! It’s totally platonic.

Elphaba asks Glinda to come with her, but deep down, she knows Glinda won’t. Elphaba won’t be happy if she stays, and Glinda won’t be happy if she leaves. So, the two have to let each other go, because at the core of their relationship, they just want each other to be happy.

They are the definition of if you love someone, let them go.

Glinda and Fiyero are soon engaged. Glinda tries to act positive, as she is now a public figure actively advocating against Elphaba, but you can tell in Thank Goodness that she regrets her decision and misses Elphaba more than she will admit.

Some plot stuff happens that I'm going to assume you know if you're reading this essay, and now Fiyero is presumed to be dead and Elphaba fully embraces the label society has given her.

And then For Good happens. For Good is one of the most genuinely beautiful songs I've listened to and I tear up every time. The two women love each other so much, probably more than they want to admit. Whether you personally see their relationship as more platonic or romantic, you can't deny how genuine and pure their relationship is.

Plus, Kristin Chenoweth took the low harmony and every Gelphie shipper started screaming about the symbolism and how they've both changed so much (me. thats me.) and if you weren't already crying, you are now.

Compare this to As Long As You're Mine. It has a haunting sound and Elphaba feels truly wicked for the first time. For Good is simple and honest and truly feels like love.

This is a good segway into talking about Fiyero. Glinda liked Fiyero for shallow reasons; he was a prince and charming, while Elphaba hardly even knew the dude; they saved a lion cub together once and apparently it's true love? I do think that both Elphaba and Glinda loved him, but I don’t think they were in love with him. He often takes second-hand to their friendship and never really builds a foundation of love and caring with either of them.

Then there's a dumb deus ex machina where Elphaba doesn't die and ends up with Fiyero, which was cheap in my opinion. Elphaba's story is a tragedy and the happy ending felt unearned. That's off-topic, though.

Glinda and Elphaba had such a beautiful relationship and so much potential, but it was misused and now I have to write essay's at 1 A.M. instead of sleeping.

[thetaekooklibrary]

[Notfanficrelated] Might be a stupid question but- Do any of the admins believe / think that taekook is real? Or could be in the future- I know of some fans who ship it but don't think it's real so I just wanted to know what the admins thought.

we’re going to each give our opinion on this, and I’m putting it under a cut because it got long lol

admin a: well, it’s a bit complicated for me. shipping has always been so fun for me and I’ve been shipping pairings (real people and fictional characters) for about 8 years now, but I’m not delusional. I’ll scream about them being real and let my love for my otps consume my life, but I’m also a logical person and I know it’s highly unlikely that it’s real lol for me, what’s most important is that I know they truly love each other, whether it’s romantic or platonic or brotherly or whatever, and that love is beautiful to me no matter what. no one can see the way they interact and look at each other and talk to each other and not admit that there is love there, whatever kind of love that may be.

admin s: frankly, I cant say im really sure what I think myself. I know exactly what south korea’s views on things like sex, drugs, sexuality, etc are (theyre very closed off; a lot of my friends who live in seoul didn’t even know much about what sex was until they came to the us for school and learned about it in health), so I can’t say with confidence like many can that taekook is real. of course, I do believe that jungkook has feelings for taehyung that exceed a normal teammate relationship or friendship, but he may not know himself what he wants. he usually looks jealous whenever taehyung is being hugged by another member in my opinion and really seems to enjoy when taehyung’s attention is on him, but whether or not that means he has romantic feelings that he admits toward taehyung is up for debate. I can’t say the same goes vice versa however. taehyung doesn’t seem to mind when jungkook is around others and seems to encourage him whenever they talk about girls. this may mean that he’s good at hiding his feelings, but I honestly believe he simply sees him as a younger brother, although I also think he’d be willing to experiment and be with a guy. to conclude, I definitely don’t think taeook are in any sort of relationship, but there’s definitely some tension. either way I love them and will always support them even if they don’t end up together (they’ll always be my number one otp though)!

admin guk: uu thats such a wild question i rarely think about taekook being real tbh especially because its so weird to assume things about real people ahh but at the same time its hard to not speculate about them bc ahhh thEYRE SO GAY okay dhs sorry its just they act so in love and i dont mean that in a weird way its just watching them over time it feels like maybe it could be real,,, but then all of them act so close so it’s confusing and they’re so close and just ahhh this is weird and rambly and makes no sense bc tbh ive never really thought about whether they were dating or not they’ve just kinda always been a solid thing to me HHH SORRY THIS MAKES NO SENSE

admin m: I personally don’t think taekook is real? Like I say it, but I genuinely know it’s fanservice and it’s just. I love taekook so much like wowowow. Like I wouldn’t mind if they’re real, that would be great in fact. But we know South Korea is extremely closed off. And I mostly agree with what the other admins said. I do sometimes think about if they were real, cause they’re so touchy and taehyung is so touchy. But tAEHYUNG IS SO TOUCHY WITH EVERYONE AND HAS EVERY CAST MEMBER OF HWARANG WRAPPED AROUND HIS FINGER. But that’s beside the point. It’s like they don’t have to be real, I just see them as taekook. Like I’m not sure how to explain it. They’re just a ship I’m so passionate about and love together but I can respect them individually and what their actual orientations are.