#they really are one of my favorite BL acting pairs currently

[mikuni14]

15 Day BL Challenge - Day 2

Day 2: Fave Rookie Actor Pairing

Well, there is one obstacle in this category, namely actors from Korean and Japanese BL series appear out of nowhere, shine brightly and disappear, while in Thailand they appear and stayas regulars lol So who is really a rookie? Besides, I don't always know other, non-BL productions in which these actors could have appeared before.

So I will treat this chellenge as rookies in BL series who did great in my opinion, who played their roles naturally, having great chemistry with their partner on set. And won my heart in the process :)

From Korea it will definitely be the main couple from Semantic Error, Jun & Jun, Sing My Crush, The 8th Sense. Obviously, I can't forget LFLS (I think one of them is pretty much new to acting) and ODS.

From Japan: I Cannot Reach You, Perfect Propose.

From Thailand: oh boy, there are so many series and so many actors here that my head is spinning when I start thinking about it. I loved the boys in Twins, they were so crazy and so awesome 😆, I know it's about the pairings, but Babe definitely did great in The Sign as a rookie, it was his first role ever I think, also Jes in 4 Minutes (he's an experienced actor but I think that was his first role in a BL series?).

I HAVE TO MENTION MIO my beloved, the best unhinged brother in Thai BL series. Because even though he technically didn't play a love interest in a BL series, he completely stole my heart, and his role in DFF is one of the most important this year imho.

The boys from The On1y One also made a huge impression on me.

Each of the currently popular "big actors" was also a rookie at one time, so I would also like to specially mention Perth in Love by Chance, who created one of my favorite characters ever, and he was so young then! Look a this baby face 🥺

The same with Bible in KinnPorsche, his first role, very demanding and already so iconic

[lurkingshan]

New as a director/writer has always been hit or miss (mostly miss) for me. In terms of Gmmtv directors, I personally like Jojo the best. His shows have a unique style, vision and clear queer voice that I like. Of course I haven’t loved all his narrative choices but he always has something to say and pulls excellent performances out of actors (which is usually the sign of good acting coach or director, sometimes both)

Aof also goes without saying as one of the best directors that Gmmtv has to offer. (IMO)

All of that considered, seeing that we are talking about Gmmtv being the biggest company, their current line up of bl shows still seem so safe to me. You would think with all that money coming in they can afford to hire new directors and writers and take more risks once in awhile. But that doesn’t seem to be the case.

I don't think there's a single Thai bl director who doesn't have some big whiffs on their record. New has made a lot of stuff I don't like, but also several classics like Make it Right, Until We Meet Again, and My Only 12%. Jojo and Aof have made some of my all-time favorite Thai shows including Gay OK Bangkok, The Warp Effect, and Bad Buddy, but they also burned me deeply on Only Friends and Last Twilight. I used to think Golf had really interesting ideas, but having seen more of their work and learned more about the source material for The Eclipse, I am not so confident about their shows anymore. Still, these are important queer creators in the Thai bl space and I will always pay attention to what they're doing.

But yes, I do think as @twig-tea laid out in her post, there is a worrying trend toward churning out ship content rather than creating compelling stories. GMMTV is a large media company and their goal is profit, full stop. They have learned that fans will eat up their shows regardless of quality of story as long as there are popular branded pairs in the mix, so what motivation do they really have to drive for higher quality storytelling? If they can produce 16 hours of branded pair fluff with no coherent story arc, put it behind a paywall on a niche streaming service, and still have it be one of the most popular shows of the year, why do they need to strive for more?

I will continue to show up for the handful of shows in their line-up each year that actually have something to say, in the hopes that they won't stop making them entirely. It's really all we can do as individual consumers to communicate that we still want good queer stories.

[becauseimanicequeen]

Hey, Ice Queen!

I saw your post on your bad taste in QLs and loved it. I've watched most of them and guess I've got bad taste too. *proud*

I'm wondering what your favorite ships are, though. Actor pairings in particular.

Have a nice day!

Hi, Anon.

The only ships I like are those I see from the beach five minutes from my house.

I know this might be an anticlimactic answer, but it’s an honest one.

I don’t participate in shipping culture because it’s just not my thing. It’s never been my thing. Not even in the Twilight era in my teens.

Are there pairings I like more than others? Sure. But I don’t mind if they go their separate ways and work with other actors. Sometimes I even feel like some pairings are holding themselves back and should split so they can develop their craft. But I’m aware that my perspective is from a more artistic one (I’m an artist) and that I usually value the craft more than popularity (or cuteness or whatever the reason is for people shipping bl actors together).

In other words, my favorites tend to be actors who can act, regardless of pairings. My favorites are ACTORS, not actors, if you get what I mean.

So, let me steer your nice ask onto a more actor-focused path, and I will try to answer it the best I can (but from my non-shipper perspective). (My memory is fucked, so these are the ones I remember off the top of my head right now.) They’re in no particular order, btw.

First Kanaphan

First has chemistry with everyone. EVERYONE. This man could have a rock as a partner and still have more chemistry than the periodic table. He’s an ACTOR, so much so it seems to be a part of his DNA.

He’s currently in a pairing with Khaotung (whom I also love) and they have great chemistry. But, again, First can be paired with anyone (he had more chemistry with Up Poompat in two 3-ish min ads than many pairings have in a whole 12 ep series). And I would probably be the first one in line to watch him act with others in QLs, if that ever happens again.

Khaotung Thanawat

Khaotung portrays emotions really well, which is why I love him. Not every actor can do that but Khao does it like he’s never done anything else in his entire life. That’s an ACTOR right there!

He and First are two of the few actors who can make me cry with their portrayal of emotions. And if an actor can make me cry (since I’m an ice queen who usually doesn’t), that actor will always have a special place in my heart.

Up Poompat

The ACTOR Up is! This man eats complex characters for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And let’s not forget the snacks in between.

Up is the reason I kept watching Step By Step, he’s the reason I loved Lovely Writer, and just like First, he can have chemistry with anyone. Not to forget that he took ownership of my soul less than a full episode into My Stand-In (which is currently airing).

Fluke Natouch

Another great ACTOR. I’ve loved him in everything I’ve seen him in (even in Shadow, even though Shadow was pretty shitty). I especially loved him in Red Wine in the Dark Night (what’s better than be gay, do crime?) and I would love to see him in more complex roles like this because I know he can handle it.

Gun Atthaphan

Gun is another versatile ACTOR that I love with my whole ice-cold heart. I’ve seen him in more stuff than just pure BLs and know that he, just like Up, eats complex characters every meal.

Considering my current profile pic, you know my favorite series is Not Me, and one of the reasons for that is Gun. He didn’t just play one character in that series, but two. Twins, who were completely different! But you still knew exactly who was whom just by looking at Gun. That’s how great his acting was (and is).

With all that said…

Max Nattapol and Tul Pakorn

If I ever were to board a ship, it would be Max and Tul's. But that’s only based on how desperately I want Transplant. And their chemistry, obviously. And Max fisting his hands in Tul’s hair. But, I wouldn’t be unhealthy about it…

Much…

I’m sure I’ll remember more actors I love as soon as I hit publish on this. But, at least this is a start for now.

Thanks for your ask.

[riggerbison]

tagged by @i-got-the-feels & @morkofday <3

Number of bls this year and hours: I finished 22 but right now i'm watching 9, 7 of them are currently airing (i'm slowly making my way through the rest of shadow and dangerous romance)

(i honestly didn't think it was that many...liz don't kill me) also i'm not mathing to calculate hours

you primarily watched bls from Thailand..though i was sick and stayed home and watched like 3 kbls in one day

you spent way too much time thInking about these characters: ray, gaipa, li ming, tien (la pluie), and sprite

your favorite show was only friends, moonlight chicken, twins, and kiseki: dear to me, and i feel like the sign & last twilight are gonna be up there

your overall bl mood was messy, i truly watched a lot of mess and we have a past

you read the most fanfiction about: only friends...mostly written by liz, rowan, and sarah...thank you for your service

another of your favorites from this year was: i know it came out last year but hey i'm slow so... the director who buys me dinner...like i went in not really knowing what it was about and expected mostly just office romance between boss and employee as i had mostly just seen clips here and there in some videos and was instead hit with a little something else

the soundtracks you listened to the most: so gonna be honest i don't really listen to show soundtracks and really the only song from any of them that i downloaded was the only friends title song

your favorite acting pair was: no one will be surprised by this but first x khaotung but i also think a number of other pairs really got my heart this year

tagging: @dilfmas, @khaotunq, @sollucets, @icouldhyperfixatehim, @firstkanaphans, & @taeminie

[chinzhilla]

tagged by @khaotunq and @i-got-the-feels to do my 2023 BL Wrapped! thank you both 💜🩷

BL WRAPPED 2023

you watched 45 bls this year. that's about 300 hours! (this includes series started in 2022 and ones that won't finish until 2024 and the total hours is a very rough estimate but still. i really am the rat that pushes the pleasure button until it dies huh)

you primarily watched bls from: thailand

you spent way too much time thinking about these characters: Ray Pakorn (Only Friends), Yai and Jom (IFYLitA), and Tian (ATOTS).

your favorite show was: i am going to cheat on this answer idgaf. my top three that started and finished this year were Only Friends, IFYLitA, and Bed Friend. favorite currently airing is The Sign. and my favorite from the back-catalogue that i watched this year was Manner of Death

your overall bl mood was: not sure exactly what this means but i think love that helps characters heal and devotion against all odds (and perhaps better judgment) were prevalent themes for me this year

you read the most fanfiction about: i actually don't read nearly as much bl fic as i do for other fandoms because i typically don't walk away feeling unsatisfied. that being said. probably akkayan or sandray

another of your favorites from this year was: fuck it you get three more shows. La Pluie, Laws of Attraction, Bokura no Shokutaku.

the soundtracks you listened to the most were: i'm still not really an ost person but i did listen to the My School President soundtrack a bit (even though i'm considering that a 2022 show for the purpose of determining faves)

your favorite acting pair was: firstkhao (honorable mentions to earthmix, netjames, and gemfourth)

my inability to pick a favorite show appears to be affecting my ability to pick mutuals to tag ily guys i'm simply too tired to choose 💖 as always though if you want to do this (and you should! i wanna see your faves!!) please consider this a tag! 😘

[aouboomseries]

BL WRAPPED 2023 ✨

(for @tenprem, @justafriend-ql, and @solana-ceae — thank you for tagging me 💓)

(original template here, thank you @loveable-sea-lemon for making it!)

you watched 33 bls this year (including ones currently airing). that's about a steadily declining gpa amount of hours!

you primarily watched bls from thailand (21).

you spent way too much time thinking about these characters: palmnueng (never let me go), kinguea (bed friend), soundwin (my school president), bostonnick (only friends), and jengpok (hidden agenda).

your favorite show was to my star 2. you sobbed like a baby over it and kept thinking about it all year.

your overall bl mood was chronic side couple enjoyer and unauthorized screeching at 5am (time zones are rough).

you read the most fanfiction about bostonnick (only friends) and vegaspete (kinnporsche). like way too much. this is more reflective of the quantity of fanfiction out there rather than your actual favorite ships of the year.

another of your favorites from this year was moonlight chicken, i feel you linger in the air, bed friend, our dating sim, and my personal weatherman. they captivated your gay little heart.

the soundtracks you listened to the most were the my school president ost and the our skyy 2 ost (specifically pondphuwin, joongdunk, jimmysea, and gemini's songs). it made you feel really normal.

your favorite acting pair was pondphuwin. what a surprise. there was just something so mesmerizing about them... you also loved aouboom, netjames, and brightnonkul. you're obviously a sucker for some pretty visuals.

here's to another year!!

invite friends to share theirs: @petrichoraline @loserlesbianongsa @soundwin @distant-screaming @silverquillsideas (if you haven't already been tagged + if you want to, of course!)

[lurkingteapot]

Thai BL Favorites Tag Game

Tagged by @lurkingshan, @ginnymoonbeam, @incandescentflower and @recentadultburnout! Created by @thatgirl4815 as Thai BL Favorites Tag Game, and that's the name I'm playing it under because, a) well, it's all BL on my particular list, it'd feel disingenious to call it anything else except maybe Y Series because we're talking Thai audiovisual media specifically and b) I'm not entirely comfortable with the unilateral renaming of a genre which which originated and grew into its current forms in another cultural context. Don't get me wrong, I made the jump from calling it Yaoi to Boys Love to BL in the 1990s and 2000s; I know to say danmei and dangai (or boy boy) when talking about it in context of media from China/Taiwan, or Y series when talking about it in Thai. If fans and markets in the communities of origin change the names again, so will I. But for now I'm sticking with the term BL. Thanks for understanding.

Favorite Thai BL: @lurkingshan makes a great point with best vs favourite, and her contenders are also mine – is ITSAY my favourite? is Bad Buddy? I suppose if we go by times rewatched, Bad Buddy takes the crown; if it's "what do I rec other people with the least amount of caveats", ITSAY wins.

Current obsession: Laws of Attraction, with Be My Favourite as a close second.

Favorite pairing: I don't particularly like this type of industrially-pushed shoehorning of actors together as a general rule (let's not pretend Julia Roberts and Richard Gere or Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire weren't also a kind of fixed ship, and I know the Philippines does a similar thing with their (mostly het) love teams – this is not Thai BL exclusive, at least historically speaking), but it clearly sells, so I don't think the industry's going to move away from this model for a long while yet.

That said: tough, but I think it'll have to be Billkin and PP. Just. Look at them act together. Look. Whether it's ITSAY/LTIP/IPYTM and related material, or one of the advertisement shorts or the incredible music videos from last year or even My Ambulance – they're just. So!!!!

Most underrated actor: Fiat Patchata. Give that boy a main role, goddamnit.

Favorite main character: quoting @lurkingshan here:

Teh, I Told Sunset About You and I Promised You the Moon. Yes, both shows, and before you all come yell at me: I SAID WHAT I SAID. 

because she's not the only one who loves this disaster of a boy.

Favorite side character: I really loved the friend group in Secret Crush on You, and Tin's friends in Triage.

Favorite scene in a BL: There are so many to choose from, but I'm going to go with the bus stop scene in Bad Buddy ep 3. The way brick shithouse Pat, all 180some beefy adolescent centimetres of him, turns himself into a cute girl at the drop of a hat … that rewired something in me, had me sit up and take notice (and block the Bad Buddy air time slot in my work calendar for the remain of the show's run time). Because they took it seriously. Didn't play it for laughs.

Favorite line in a BL: oh, there are so many. But I guess if we want to go with largest impact on me, personally, I'm gonna go with Thian in Khun Chaai going "May I love you, Jiu?" because. whew. That just hit me right in the feels.

Most anticipated BL (& why): Only Friends and Love in Translation. Only Friends because it looks to shake up a lot of the things we're used to from GMMTV in particular – I know we've had a little bit of flirting outside of the fixed ships this year already in Moonlight Chicken and Our Skyy 2, but if Jojo is going to shake it up more I'm very, very here for that. Love in Translation because the Thai title is รักไม่รู้ภาษา "Love doesn't know language" and languages are my jam.

Healthiest relationship in a BL: I don't really enjoy thinking about relationships in these terms because it just … urgh. I don't care if it's ''''healthy'''' (and seriously, who gets to decide what is and what isn't healthy, anyway? and why are we making this a moral judgement?)

Questions I do ask about relationships: Is the relationship compelling? is it believable? do the people involved behave like they don't only love and desire, but also like each other as people? that's what I want to know.

Most toxic relationship in a BL: see above. 

Ginny suggested Relationship dynamic I would most like to have myself: and Relationship dynamic I would least like to have myself: to replace the "healthy" and "toxic" questions and I think that's fantastic, but I'm honestly blanking on both so I'm skipping this part.

Guilty pleasure series: I like what I like, I don't see a reason to feel bad about that.

Most underrated series: He's Coming To Me. It's such a lovely little show.

If you'd like to play, please consider yourself tagged (and feel free to tag me if/when you play -- I'd love to see!)

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

Currently Watching - September

aka The Masterlist

Because I love a good little list - in alphabetical order! 😊

PSA: I am on a little hiatus until the end of september! My social anxienty is through the roof and I need some time to detox and just relax, read, watch series and go for walks during my holiday. (I prepared some sets for the weekends and I might write about the stuff I watched, but I don't know yet. I just go with my flow!)

Regularly updated during the month, latest update 30.09.2023

Here you can find my weekly roundup that goes into a bit more detail about each episode. (On hiatus right now)

And a little link to my favorite bl-tropes-collection 💙

Usually, I am happy about gif-requests. I will be on hiatus during the month of September. But if you want a special scene, just let me know and I will get to it in October.

Here you can find all of my gifs.

And if you want to show me something you think I might like, just let me know with #josistag

At the end you can have a look at what we can expect in September with MDL link and a link for a trailer (if avaible).

This is guaranteed to contain spoilers!

1. Dangerous Romance (Ep 7/12 on Youtube)

The lovestory between a bully with daddy-issues and a boy who has nothing to lose and who is quite a badass.

2. I feel you linger in the air (7/12 on Gaga)

The lovestory that overcomes the time barrier between a rich man with the biggest heart-eyes and a time-traveller whose love life could have been better.

3. Kiseki: Dear to me (8/13 on Viki)

The lovestories between a member of a mafia and a college boy and between two gangsters who have far too little screen time!

4. Only Friends (7/10 on Youtube)

The stories about different red flags in different pairings who are all very messy and connected with each other to live their redness.

5. Taikan Yoho / My Personal Weatherman (6/8 on Viki and Gaga)

The lovestory between an emotionally complicated weatherman and his devoted, but also emotionally complicated partner.

6. Wedding Plan (7/8 on iQiyi)

The lovestory between a groom and his wedding planner. And yes, I am waiting for the special episode to mark it finished!

7. You are mine (3/10 on Viki)

The lovestory between a very demanding chef, who terrorise his employees and his easygoing new male secretary who can give good massages.

Finished in September

Series

1. Stay Still (5/5 on Youtube)

The lovestories between people... Sorry, but this was messy and I had a hard time staying interested. In the end I didn't really care about the characters or the story. Nothing I would go back to. A 5,5 out of 10 for me.

2. Kind the Land (16/16 Netflix - no bl)

I needed something for the heart on my first vacation weekend and so I pulled this one back from On-Hold and it was the right decision. It is just pure fluff for the heart! So much romance and love and happiness! My cold, rusty heart really got warm watching this. So it is a 9 out of 10 for me.

3. Jun & Jun (8/8 on Viki)

The lovestory between a bossy boss with dreamy eyes and a former idol, who everybody has a crush on and who now wants to become an office employee and they were childhood friends! It was a short, but fun watch! I really enjoyed it. A 8 out of 10 for me.

4. Love Class Season 2 (10/10 on Viki)

The lovestories between a former tutor with a sad and traumatizing past and his student who now is his class mate and between two childhood friends - one of them a stupid stalker and the other one without communication skills and between a teaching assistant at the university and his one-night-stand who want more but plays hard to get... And it is brilliant! I LOVE IT so much! The acting is so good, the stories are so cute I can't decide which couple is my favorite, because they all were so freaking CUTE!!!! I am so in love with this little show! So good! Highly recommended! 10 out of 10 for me.

5. Papa, what is love? (6/6 on Gaga)

The love story between Greg, who I don't know what this whole story with his ex is about, and Tupa, who, for reasons I don't understand has to ask Greg for permission to go to work? Not to forget Greg's father, who is also Tupa's Ex, and who is looking for true love via an app a la Gridr. Pinoy series really hit differently. There is a lot of sex and a lot of plotless fillings... Why did I watch this? I really don't know. At least in the end everyone has their happy ending. Even Rich gor married, after he knew his new hubby for a whole week! 4,5 out of 10... I will forget everything about this.

6. Why R U (8/8 on Viki)

The lovestories between one enemy and a fake enemy who has a crush on the enemy for quite a while and between a fake casanova and a shy guy who isn't really shy. I had fun with this one. It was short and entertaining. The cuts and time jumps were a little annoying, but they didn't have enough time to tell the story properly, I guess. So it is fine for me. I give it a 7 out of 10.

7. Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2 (12/12 on Gaga)

The lovestory between a young man who adores the emotional complicated character of his partner with issues. This whole mess made me so angry at times. The amnesia plot was stupid, unnecessary and unwanted. It took away every natural progress of their characters and produced some stupid, unbelievable shit drama. I really wanted to like it, but in the end I couldn't. It had some nice moments, but these don't make up for all the rest. For me only a 4 out of 10...

8. Hidden Agenda (12/12 on Youtube)

The love story between a control freak who only wants the best for his partner and the boy with endless patience for him to understand boundaries. Yeah... that was bad. It was boring and the acting of some of the actors was just not that good and the story was... meh. 5 out of 10 for me.

Movie

Short Film

1. Kiss Kiss (on Gaga)

It looked as this one is a reference to the first encounter with Aids and the handling of it. It is an oppressive watch. It has its flaws and the a-true-love's-kiss will heal you was nothing I like, but the message was there. But overall just a 6,5 out of 10 for me.

2. Black Sesam Soup with Tofu Pudding (on Gaga)

The lovestory between two young man in a world of homophobia and prejudices. Without a doubt one of the best queer short films I have watched in my life. Even the memoryloss was an important part of this film. It was so wholesome and devastating. I am still in tears... 10 out of 10 for me.

Rewatched in September

Dropped/On-Hold in September

1. Venus in the sky (3/10 on iQiyi)

I gave it a fair chance! But the story is just boring, the acting isn't that good and well I couldn't care less about the characters and their story. I can spend my time with better things like that...

Looking forward to in September

Naughty Babe - Trailer (Sep 2nd on iQiyi)

Venus in the sky - Trailer (Sep 2nd on iQiyi)

Our Story - Trailer (Sep 9th on Youtube)

Bump Up Business (Sep 15th)

You are mine - Trailer without subs (Sep 15th on Viki)

Kimi ni wa Todokanai (I can't reach you) (Sep 27th)

Absolute Zero - Teaser (Sep 27 on iQiyi)

Bon Appetit - Teaser (Sep 27 on iQiyi)

[talkingbl]

ZeeNunew = MewGulf

Now that I've gotten your attention, let's talk about shipping and people who talk about shipping. This is a long post so, if you don't want to read the whole thing, skip down to the TLDR instead of reading it anyway then complaining about the length.

The problem with BL pairing shippers

Many critiques about shippers are extremely valid. Shippers can get out of hand and do things like bring Gulf porn of him and Mew to his solo event or follow Joong around calling him "baby~~~" b/c that's what he allegedly calls Dunk despite that he clearly doesn't want them to. I've seen shippers beg actors to physically touch, to kiss, to perform unwanted sexual acts on each other, etc. Straight up gross behavior.

Like, when did it become okay to essentially bribe people into fulfilling your fantasies, unprovoked? I could see if they were okay with this (see below), but most of the time stans are doing these things out of nowhere while the actors either refuse or look clearly uncomfortable. At best, it's cringey when shippers cross the line like this, at worst it's criminal.

That said, I personally believe that not all shippers are inherently bad. There are lots of normal shippers who simply like the moments, eat it up, and play along with the actors when it's clear that the actors are okay with it. So, I'm sorry to the non-shippers out there but I just don't care about the normal shippers, I don't think it's wrong, and I'm not gonna call the these types of shippers delulu (but I will bully tf out of the group mentioned above). It's not really my cup of tea to get invested in ships to that level but to each their own.

With that, I think it's a good time to turn to the problem that no one EVER addresses. And that is the problem with non-shippers.

The problem with non-shippers

We all know the non-shipper greatest hits. BL shippers are harmful because:

no ships are real/it's all fanservice and I won't believe otherwise until I see a marriage certificate (unless both actors are conveniently feminine-coded)

all BL actors are straight until proven otherwise, so shipping = bad

all BL actors have girlfriends until proven otherwise!!

shippers are delulu straight women who don't care about gay rights

also, it's none of our business

Also, we need to protect actors from the ~harm to their image!!!

Did I cover everything? Probably not but there's a point here. Not only are every single one of these critiques not necessarily true or coming from a genuine place, but some of them are incredibly harmful??

Like...all BL actors are straight when over 10% of the population under 30 identifies as something other than non-het? And being straight always means you're in a long-term committed relationship with a member of the opposite sex? Are y'all out here seriously saying that only straight women consume BLs and ship actors? In 2022, the year of our lord? Come on now...

The funny point about the het allegations and the whole 'y'all don't care about gay rights' sentiment is that a lot of the time it's coming from actual straight women who don't wanna believe their favorite BL guy might actually like boys. Actually, I have a theory about this...have y'all ever noticed that the more feminine-coded or not conventionally attractive the actor is, the more folx are willing to concede he may be queer? But the more masculine-coded or conventionally attractive the actor is, the more staunch non-shippers are that he's straight? Yeah, I'ma need y'all to unpack that...

And let's talk about the reality of ships. I personally don't believe that any actors are currently dating IRL outside of the confirmed ones. I mean believe what you want to believe (that's what I do) but like...don't be weird about it. What kills me is the lengths the girls* go to to prove their faves are straight/can't be dating. It's just strange to me.

For the 'it's none of our business crew', I agree a bit but like speculating about a celebrity's dating life in a fandom space is something inherent in fan culture. This is a tough topic for me that deserves its own post, but suffice it to say, I think that to some extent, gossip about who is dating who is relatively normal. But it can get out of hand and I don't condone that.

Finally, the biggest problem I see with non-shippers is the absolute cock-gobbling that goes on amongst them. When it comes to these BL actors, all of a sudden the girlies* are ready for war and will "do anything to protect [their faves'] image." Like...this is not only homophobic on so many levels but also he's a grown ass man??? If the shippers are not crossing the line, why do you care?

*girls/girlies is gender neutral here.

Off, Tay, Mew, Zee, Tul, Mile, Max K., are all 30+. New, Gun, Seoham, Singto, Earth P., Earth K., Boun, Fluke N., Apo, etc. are all 25+. Most of the industry is 21+. Gentlemen*, these are GROWN men. They DO NOT need your protection. You don't, on these men's behalf, need to bully people for liking their fanservice or for the mere thought that one of them could be dating a costar. Stop trying to "protect their image" in other ways too. If he's 27 and made rape jokes, that man is GUILTY!!! Get him and your dumb ass justification of his behavior off my timeline!!!

*Gentlemen is gender neutral here.

The only actors y'all need to worry about ~protecting are like... *checks big ass Tumblr post w/all the actors ages* the The Tuxedo boys. That's it. The rest of these hoes* are grown and can take care of themselves.

*hoes is a term of endearment here.

Let's be clear here. I totally get it if shippers are crossing the line (pushing their fantasy in the actor's faces). I don't, however, get it when shippers are just acting in line with what the actors encourage. But this gets into another problem around shipping and that is...

The problem with BL pairings and their agencies

BL pairings go to extreme lengths to promote their ships and encourage delulu behavior. Why? Idk, money bouquets maybe? Luxury clothes? Expensive electronics? Food support? These actors fully understand that part of their job is to sell their ship. They go into these situations knowing what makes money, and most of them don't complain nor do they seem uncomfortable with all the adoration for their ship.

In fact, more often than not, I feel like they weirdly egg it on when they do things like concerts/tours/photoshoots where they sing love songs to each other, pretend to get married, pretend to be trying for a baby (??? wtf mew lmao), and use suggestive language that would lead a logical person to conclude they're dating.

And some don't stop there. Some actors will even do these things outside of clear fanservice contexts, which makes it seem even more plausible. You cannot possibly tell me that if 2 straight people did these sorts of things, people wouldn't rationally conclude that the two are dating... It's just not realistic.

There's also the very real fact that actors who are confirmed to be dating do sometimes use their relationship for financial gain. And I'm not even saying this in a nefarious way. Like Both and Newyear had an entire YouTube channel then turned around and acted in a BL opposite each other. You can't tell me they didn't want to commodify their relationship. Of course, that's not saying that shippers should be able to cross the line. That shit is never acceptable, warranted, or excused. But merely thinking they look cute together or discussing their moments online does not make a person an evil fujo (notice it's never a fudan accusation though 😉, but y'all not ready for that convo).

TLDR

My entire point with this post is that shipping can be bad and should not be tolerated when it is. When it's not bad, non-shippers can stfu w/the annoying ass holier-than-thou bs that often comes from a place of wanting to fuck the actors in question. Plus, of-age actors themselves need to tone it down if they don't want people thinking they're dating. But they also don't deserve to put up with the bullshit from obsessed shippers who probably should be criminally prosecuted for non-consensually bribing them into uncomfortable situations. Everyone just be normal lmao.

[stormyoceans]

top 5 tropes?

hi, anon!!! sorry if it took me so long to reply to this but it was SO HARD to pick only 5 TROPES i love, there are simply too many!!!! in the end i just decided to go with the ones that are currently making me lose my mind, but ask me in a week and they’re probably gonna be different ;;;;;;;;

1. pining. trope as old as time and still one of the best in my book. especially if it’s mutual. especially if it’s paired with obliviousness. there’s nothing quite like the experience of screaming at your screen and pulling your hair out in frustration as you watch two characters dance around each other without realizing that they both feel the same way to make your sanity slowly crumble to dust.

2. food as a love language. idk if this can really be considered a trope by itself or if it’s more like.. a macro-category of tropes, but i love how in the past year there have been in BLs a lot of examples of food being used as a narrative tool to show the progression of a relationship or even just a character’s view on love. starvation and hunger and consumption and feeding someone and cooking together are all things that have been used as a metaphor for intimacy and desire and it’s something that i’ve only recently realized makes me rabid like very other little things do.

3. ballroom dancing. to quote the pride and prejudice 2005 movie adaptation: “so what do you recommend to encourage affection?” “dancing. even if one's partner is barely tolerable.” never were words so true. you simply can’t go wrong with a good dancing scene. two characters who hate each other guts are forced to begrudgingly dance with each other and suddenly the room is full of UST and they have a Moment™? one character is pining after another and can’t look at their crush in the eyes as they get into position because the mere touch of a hand on the small of their back makes them tremble? two characters in an established relationship slow dance to their favorite song as they whisper sweet nothings to each other? BRILLIANT INCREDIBLE AMAZING SHOW-STOPPING SPECTACULAR.

4. forehead kiss. i honestly could have put any kind of nonsexual intimacy act here because that’s something really important to me, especially when it comes to make a relationship look believable. ultimately i decided to put forehead kisses instead of hand holding, or hugs, or hand kisses, because i feel like forehead kisses are still seen as more parental than romantic, but i think there’s something incredibly affectionate and protective and devotional in them.

5. hurt/comfort. im very particular when it comes to hurt/comfort because especially in fanfiction it can be taken to the extremes in a way i don’t always like, but if it’s done right it can be [bites entire fist] SO GOOD. there is just an incredible kind of intimacy that can develop between two characters in the vulnerability of sickness and in the generosity of comfort, it’s a time where walls have to come down on both sides and i think it’s beautiful to witness.

[gmmtv-bl-tournament-but-evil]

I'm another one of those Never Let Me Go over The Eclipse girlies I'm afraid. I have so much unironic love of that show. I love weird and messy stuff (I genuinely love the live action Super Mario Bros movie from the 90s for example) and Never Let Me Go hit hard for me in that way. The ending was a little weak with the Palm running away plot, but like it didn't subtract from my overall enjoyment of the show (and let's be honest, endings are not one of BL's strong suits so I'm usually more lenient with it as my expectations aren't high) (that's what fanfic is for).

I actually never got around to watching The Eclipse because at the time of it airing, I wasn't in the mood for something that heavy politically (I'm pretty politically active irl, especially around that time, and wanted my little shows to break from that) (Not Me had already kinda drained my battery for heavily politically social commentary dramas then) so I never actually got around to watching it proper, just consumed it through gifs and the like on here.

But then a another reason for my continual ambivalence to The Eclipse is my real spicy hot take: I'm just not that into First and Khaotung as a pair.

Part of it is probably because my introduction to the BL fandom was Not Me and Dan and Yok rewrote my brain chemistry so I really wanted to see more of First and Gawin acting together. But there are other pairs where in my introduction to one of the actors, they were paired with someone else, and I still love both pairings a lot. So like, it's got to be something else that just doesn't do it for me I guess.

Like don't get me wrong, they're both phenomenal actors and act very well together, I'm just not into them playing romantic pairs all the time. Like Sand and Ray were my least favorite couple in Only Friends and I really didn't want them to be endgame (and I felt that a lot of the SandRay crowd were in it because it was First and Khao and not for their actual characters). And I loved it whenever Sand or Ray was out doing something with another character (I'm still a SandNick truther).

I'm not that into branded pairs anyways. I like the idea of common pairs, where they do a lot of stuff together but not exclusively only with each other. But man I hope GMMTV becomes more open to shuffling their pairs around because I really want to see First and Khao paired with different actors for at least one series and maybe that'll help solve why I'm not into them as a pair

Can't really disagree on the widespread lack of solid endings in BL. I'm having a lot of fun finding myself in this very peculiar position of just acting like a bowl to be filled with a number of votes for either of those shows. I don't have especially strong opinions either way, aside for a very mild preference for The Eclipse but nothing drastic (the Eclipse Anon has recently found this out to their great bafflement). Funnily enough, since you mentioned it, one of the things that diminished my love for The Eclipse was actually its ending!

As for FirstKhao, I love them dearly both together and separately while at the same time also being the biggest DanYok simp who ever lived. They changed the trajectory of my life, I'Il probably be thinking about them on my deathbed. Gawin Caskey is my most cherished little guy*. However, despite loving FirstKhao a lot, I wasn't impressed by their first role as a branded couple. I don't agree on Only Friends, tho, I think they already did so much better at SandRay and even though they weren't my favourites in that either (do I even need to say who I was seated for at this point?), I was hugely impressed by how far they got in so little time.

When it comes to branded pairs, I agree with you. I would also love a little spicing up and some unexpected new pairings. I also get that it's financially easier for GMMTV to keep the current status quo. I get it but I don’t like it one bit.

*l am a significant amount shorter than him.

[lurkingshan]

Every You, Every Me

Story 4 (Part 2)

Picking up from where we left off.

Man, you should NEVER butt into a harassment situation without actually knowing what is going on. I would have left, too.

Sad, though, I was hoping for more sex and dick jokes instead of drama.

This plot has taken a weird turn. And kind of a boring one tbh. I don't really care about this Phukan drawing credit conflict. Let's get back to what we're here for, please.

Thank you, show 🙏🏻

Ope, James from the flashbacks is indeed an ex. He looked so uncomfortable at that marriage proposal? Weird vibe since it seems they didn't actually break up, but perhaps just a weak acting moment.

I love it when romance shows remind us it's fine and normal to have significant past relationships and people can love more than one person in their life and there's no need to be weird about it.

Okay that said this love confession and "I can't live without you" feels pretty fast for these two.

This shot through the shower curtain is strange, it's making Sian look like a ghost.

Hell yeah, rip the towel off! I love that we keep seeing shots of those painted blue nails.

Sian looks gorgeous in the window in that morning light.

Oh no he's singing... okay it's not nearly as bad as a lot Thai drama singing, I survived.

Cuuuuute montage during that song.

It must be said though that "you're my favorite musical note/you're my favorite work of art" are such cheesy lines.

Hahahaha little brother you really need to start knocking.

HEY THEY ARE MONTAGING ACROSS THE STORIES ALL OF A SUDDEN

OMG @twig-tea was right!!!! They are actors making a series of BLs yasssssssssssss

"You and Your Beautiful Soul" is the show they're currently making.

Is this breakup scene yet another BL, or the real guys?? OMG

New names Pun and Inn (which matches with the previous brief glimpse of BTS). I think these are the actual actors who have been playing all these other characters.

FIAT IS BACK

YEP, they showed up to set upset from their breakup.

"You're not me, you don't understand." WTF that line is the same as in the breakup we just watched.

Oh, so they breakup and make up frequently.

Who is this sassy tall man 👀

Ope, and next week we seem to be staying with this story of the actors instead of changing up again. This has been the real narrative all along, and it tracks well with the stuff I noted in my binge watch--the changing names, the performances getting better as the episodes go on, the way the physical intimacy differed so much and built to be stronger across each story. All of that makes perfect sense if they're an actor pair working together across multiple shows and getting more seasoned and comfortable as they go. Such a smart concept. I'm curious if we'll learn when they started dating and about the arc of some of those previous breakup and makeups against their BLs. I hope so!

[heretherebedork]

I miss What Zabb Man and, more specifically, Teng and Mayom and just everything about their relationship. Also, Bank and Bonus are definitely two of my favorite BL actors currently and, actively, my currently favorite repeated acting pair and that probably says a lot about me... I'm just not sure what.

[creamymilkk]

hey i love ur writing!! i would kill for some headcanons of the coon x reader. i loooove him so if your up to it i would really like some headcanons.

the reader is a superhero too. (just make up a power, or don’t. doesn’t matter to me) at first he doesn’t like or trust her. he ends up going out of his way to bother her and be around her. not because he likes her of course 🫣 and then all the other hero’s start to figure out that he likes her and that the reader likes him too. they both act like they hate each other. also the reader is kind of shy. mostly around him. ya know, cause she likes him lmao.

🦝 ♡ “I SAID I LIKE YOU!! CAN'T YOU HEAR?!??” ♡🦝

༉‧₊˚ #Coon! Eric Cartman x F!reader 

𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠. . .

█▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒𝟐𝟎%

███▒▒▒▒▒▒▒𝟓𝟎%

█████▒▒▒▒▒𝟕𝟎%

███████▒▒▒𝟏𝟎𝟎%

██████████ 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞

. ˚₊ ꒱ Pairing/Pairings: The Coon/Eric Cartman and Reader.

༉‧₊˚ -Format: Headcanons. 

× &﹕Summary: Basically The Coon trying to hide the fact he likes you :’)

×﹕♺ AUTHOR’S NOTE(S): I wrote this at 1 am so i will edit this later! Currently trying to finish chapter 1 of my fanfic! So requests might take some time :( S/N = Superhero name. R/P = Random Power. NOT PROOF READ!! bl

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵　　‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵ ︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿

♡ - let’s get this started! Ur y/n or should I say S/N the power of R/P. One of your best friends Kyle (yes Kyle since he’s my favorite)

♡ - He said just to at least talk to you and join ‘Coon and friends’ of course he didn’t listen.

♡ - So Kyle said just to go in while the other superheroes weren’t there so the Coon won’t talk shit to him:)

♡ - Of course you being you, aka you having a little big crush on the coon.

♡ - You barely talked and when you did it was barely a whisper.

♡ - So he was getting mad.

♡ - “FOR GOD SAKE WOMAN! SPEAK LOUDER BITCH!”

♡ - That did make you sad but you just moved closer to him.

♡ - After that little meeting, he let you in ‘The Coon’ friends.

♡ - Even though he didn’t let the other girls let any of the girls in.

♡ - It’s like he found you pretty PFFT NO NEVER.

♡ - But he didn’t trust you at all. He didn’t let you go to any of the missions with the other heroes.

♡ - Especially with that jew. Kyle.

♡ - So he always allows you to go on a mission unless he’s with him.

♡ - Basically to make fun of you and brother you every time he got the chance.

♡ - “Ew S/N what kind of hero costume is that even”

♡ - “Heh, you probably have a power of period blood”

♡ - “Dude why did I even let a chick in?” Because you like her that’s why cartman :’)

♡ - Sooner and later you two always picked on each other. 

♡ - For some weird reason, that’s your guys love languages!

♡ - Then the other heroes picked up that Eric had a crush on you.

♡ - Then they realize that you two liked each other.

♡ - They all hated the fact that a girl showed interest in Eric cartman. All of the people , you picked Eric.

♡ - Then in one mission, you got hurt really badly. Eric was literally about to cry. He didn’t want you to get hurt.

♡ - Then when you got all better, you told Eric/The coon about your crush.

♡ - “Look, you probably won’t feel the same. But I really need to get this off my chest.. I-I kinda like you..”

♡ - He was starting to blush. Like brush bright red.

♡ - “I guess I kinda like you…” he said, almost whispering.

♡ - You barely heard him. Okay that was a lie but you really wanted to hear him say those words.

♡ - “Uhm. what?”

♡ - “I SAID I LIKE YOU!! CAN'T YOU HEAR?!??”

♡ - Well let’s just say that you two become some sort of duo:) a somewhat cute superhero duo.

[anthrotmnt]

Tagged by @piningbisexuals  (which was a sweet surprise - sorry it’s late!)

1. your all time favorite bl and why

Until We Meet Again. 

UWMA was like the third drama I watched after SOTUS and Love By Chance when I was first falling down the rabbit hole of Thai dramas. It’s one of the ones I can re-watch again and again. Even though it’s not the happiest, given certain circumstances (InKorn), I love the fictional idea of soulmates and love transcending time. I adore Pharm as one of my all-time favorite characters, with his actor being one of my favorites.  

Seriously the “aesthetic”, and idea of the red string of fate is one of my favorites, as well as it’s just overall more serious tone, while also containing humor, thoughtfulness, and love/warmth.

The friend group is also pretty great - though I wish we had seen more of it; honestly I think most friend groups, especially ones that come together when a pairing does, deserve more attention.

2. that one bl that scarred you for life

I haven’t really watched anything that has outright scarred me; the ones that probably would have, I went in knowing they were gonna be A Lot (fortunately).

Maybe History3: Make Our Days Count cause they really took such a sweet (highschool) enemies to lovers story with great chemistry and ended it that way. I know that’s the point - hence the title - and I def did not watch the last 10 minutes as per recommendation, but still. Rough

Also unrelated - because I don’t think I got it from this drama - but Dean’s upset crying while driving in UWMA got me nervous and now I fret when boys are distracted drivers in BL.

Maybe it’s all connected.

3. is there any bl that made you feel single?

I feel like a large part of BL’s appeal is the romance aspect and the comfort of reoccurring/familiar tropes you keep coming back to.

While many BLs have made me feel single, I want to give Oxygen some love here because while it’s not a perfect show, the main couple are just so soft and I love their softness and I think that kind of fluff makes me feel even more single then the average BL.

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

TonHon Chonlatee - I would have given the surrogacy plot actual weight, or just straight up changed it so that the dad’s hospital trip and “forgiving” of his son didn’t feel so sudden and undeserving. Honestly, TonHon himself i think needed a few episodes less of being a jerk, if we weren’t even going to have Chonlatee and him as a happy couple for very long. So maybe the overall episode length because it had charm, and I enjoyed what I enjoyed, but it’s just a bit disappointing for what could have been.

5. that one bl you detest

I watched TharnType right before the boom we are currently seeing, because everyone talked about it, mostly because the chemistry between the actors being amazing. While at the time, right after, I did rate it high (for what it was - as it wasn’t trying to be anything clean and neat), I’m just kind of indifferent now. In the sequel, they took that acting chemistry and tried to present the couple as more loving and committed, while hiding most of the actual intensity behind paywalls haha.

For one I straight up detested though, I don’t know that I’ve watched any because if I started to detest it I would probably just not finish it/drop it. My attention isn’t all that great sometimes.

Maybe Together with Me: The Next Chapter (despite never having watched it) because while the original show dealt with the main couple cheating to be together you would think that means they really wanted to be together and it was a complicated emotional mess of internalized homophobia…but then I hear that more cheating happens after all they went through, and even more so! It was def an automatic “not interested” in MyDramaList.

6. your top 5

1) Until We Meet Again

2) Why R U

3) He’s Coming To Me

4) My Engineer

5) Oxygen

I would say these are my top 5 cause I’ve actually rewatched these haha.

Honorable Mentions: A Tale of Thousand Stars (very close I just need to rewatch it again I think), Bad Buddy, and Not Me (I’m still absorbing both of their freshness/thoughts and feelings).

7. that trashy bl you lowkey like

Cause You’re My Boy - Drake and Frank’s chemistry just keeps you hooked on the show and while production wise it is a bit choppy, I can see the charm of the show they wanted underneath.

Tonhon Chonlatee - like I said earlier it has charm, and a fun queer found family, but the pacing drags the series as a whole down.

8. your favorite korean bl

Color Rush

9. but also your top 3 for kbls

1) Color Rush

2) Where Your Eyes Linger

3) Mr. Heart

Honorable Mention: Long Time No See

I’m behind on some of the newer ones but based on the webcomic, I think Semantic Error could end up in the top 3.

10. season 2? which one?

I think I’ve watched only 3 dramas with a season 2: Still 2Gether, I Promised You the Moon, and Lovesick Season 2. 

IPYTM was disappointing, and I know of way more season 2s that sound disappointing/not my thing, that I have not watched.

I started, but didn’t finish, Color Rush season 2.

I plan to watch A Man Defies the World of BL season 2!

Lastly, I do still kind of want My Engineer season 2….

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

KinnPorsche (this weekend?!)

But also The Eclipse and Never Let Me Go

12. tag them

@laowen n​ @ablazenqueen

[gunsatthaphan]

Okay so... I really love up's acting and I also love your tumblr page so I'm gonna ask you this question:D

Imagine you're a director for this upcoming thai series and have up poompat as one of the cast, what kind of character and background story will you give to him? And which actor/actress will you pair him with? (It doesn't have to be BL but it could be one too? It's up to you as the director to decide xoxo)

If you see this and decide to answer, thank you!

hello anon!

oh I love these kinds of asks haha :D

In my opinion Up is currently amongst the most talented and versatile actors out there and I could literally see him in anything. Also not that the director has a big say in the casting process but I would make him the main actor in an instant lol.

Since the bl genre tends to be bubbly and colorful, I'm always intrigued to see bl actors in something darker. And especially after the LW special ep (not that I took that seriously or anything lmao) I can totally see Up in a mystery show with thriller/supernatural-elements - I think he would kill it.

I'm not very creative when it comes to story ideas but maybe something similar to The Gifted or Manner of Death? A mystery in a school or a murder case etc... I don't know haha

As for the question of bl or not - I can see him in both. Since the world desperately lacks dark bls though I think I would take the chance and make it gay lol. And since homeboy is talented af I can see him with p much anyone. The first one that comes to mind (besides Kao, even though I would not be opposed to that idea either lol) is First K. bc I remember these commercials they did together which still live in my mind rent free dsjkfhs so I think that could be fun!

For a non-bl type of arc I could maybe see him with Mild L. She's tough and one of my favorite actresses and I think she would fit into that type of show effortlessly. Another option could be Kapook P. bc she's literally so talented and still so underrated and I think they would make a power couple haha.

All in all - the better the actor the wider the spectrum so the possibilites for him are literally endless. He's the best 🥺

I can't wait for his next project!!!

xxx