#unique bl

[sunniss]

tae-yi in glasses~

[magicaldreamfox1]

pete & his masks (for @kissporsche)

[joseigamer]

Patalliro! is fascinating to me because of stuff like this. It's unapologetically gay - even within its anime which aired during primetime hours in 1982 - in a way that many later BL manga would never be, like the ones from the early 2000s which would never dare to call their characters actual homosexuals. Patalliro has actually aged quite well in this regard, there's something comforting about how campy it is.

[0yorixu]

"Murderer"

concept I have for a ruikasa thing that I really want to flourish and draw properly hopefully soon cause I've had this idea for like a year and never got to drawing it

[bl-bracket]

a fun little observation I noticed the other day is that in every bracket that has happened since the show aired, Phaya from The Sign has been in it (horny on main, himbo, unhinged, poor little meow meow) EXCEPT this one. listen I am #1 Phaya fan for life but homeboy is too much of a glaring red flag lmao

another fun observation is that ZERO of the characters in The Poorest Little Meow Meow bracket are also in The Greenest Flag bracket (which of course makes sense since one the qualifiers for plmm was to be morally dubious but still it's quite fun to me to notice). no overlap whatsoever. there are two types of men in bls

[maybe-boys-do-love]

Someone probs wrote about this before, but it’s absolutely bonkers how Aof’s Bad Buddies and Our Skyy crossover with ATOTS put men’s bisexual/pansexual experiences in conversation with gay experiences.

You get Pran and Phupha and even Tian all existing to some extent as gay characters—and I don’t say that because anyone specifically uses that label (only Tian really goes near there). In fact, I don’t even say that because of the gender they’re attracted to! There’s more to their gayness than that. They’re gay characters because all three of those characters exhibit major signs we associate with effeminacy and, more importantly, its early suppression by others, which leads to the shameful self-repression we see in their present day incarnations. They all have softer sides—music, art, gentleness—that they tuck away privately, and they each have clear examples throughout their stories of people telling them that they need to eliminate or at least hide that part of themselves. And these interests and expressions are not just subtext about sexuality here, they are specific markers we culturally expect to see alongside gayness. And the suppression, or lack there of, of those effeminate qualities is a significant gay milestone.

Pat doesn’t have that experience, though, which I think is genius from a writing and queer theory perspective. The thing about the LGBTQIA+ grouping is that it’s a very potent political grouping, but the experiences of each letter within that acronym are distinct, and often it’s precarious to bring up the differences. However, with Pat’s bisexual characterization, we see how it can be productive. Because Pat’s embodiment, interests, and sexuality contained more aspects that were socially acceptable, he did not experience the same type of suppression as Pran, Tian, and Phupha did early on. He never needed to develop coping mechanisms that involved self-denial. Therefore, he’s comfortable being expressive with his more feminine side and his affections. He doesn’t have the same sense that his sweetness puts him at risk of anything. This openness provides a model for Pran in Bad Buddies and Phupha in ATOTS to explore releasing some of their self-control, anxiety, and shame to share the sentimental parts of themselves (Tian’s whole arc in ATOTS is about coming to terms with this more feminine heart inside of him—RIP Torfun 😢).

I think one of the lessons we’re supposed to glean from Pat is that any person, queer or not, could be that open and comfortable with the full spectrum of gender expression, from fist-fighting to hugging your nong nao doll over a crush, if they were given full support by their fams. Since that perfect world doesn’t quite exist, this is a really unique secondary message we get about the potential of reaching across the divides and growing from other groups within the LGBT acronym. Of course, no character is a stand-in for an entire group. Not all bisexual and pansexual folks escape childhood without suppression of their gendered ways of expressing themselves, and they have unique societal and internal challenges that come with their sexuality. But it’s okay to acknowledge, as Bad Buddy and ATOTS do, that many (but not all of course) exclusively gay men have interests and gendered styles of expressing themselves evident earlier in their lives that make them a target for shit, which leads to a specific loneliness-inducing style of relating to themselves and others. P’Aof and his team, instead of comparing those experiences with bitterness (which is what I’ve often felt inclined to do in the past tbh) asks what possibilities exist when these people can understand one another. It’s also somewhat symbolic of the possibilities that occur when the BL trope of ‘gay only for you’ is, not put in contest with lgbtq media, but instead synthesized—which is what P’ Aof has explicitly aimed to do for his whole career.

[pharawee]

Another Thai actor, Turbo Chanokchon Boonmanawong (along with his brother Fourwheels Chayanond) has come forward on his instagram with a statement alluding to potential mismanagement by his former agency. You might know Turbo from Nitiman and Love Stage!! where he was paired up with Kaownah Kittipat. The brothers have since joined a new agency, so Turbo's statement is likely due to him wanting a fresh start and officially breaking ties with his old company.

Hello, I'm Turbo. Please allow me to clarify the following. The main reason for leaving the previous agency was that there was almost no work available. Sometimes, there was only one job per month, and I was not allowed to take on other work. As a result, I did not have enough income to live on. After we parted ways, the previous agency frequently posted about us on social media, sometimes using harsh language and mentioning people around us, which led to misunderstandings and damaged our reputation. We also learned that for some jobs we had completed, the original agency claimed there was no compensation, but later we found out that the employer had already paid. This situation arose probably due to Bo's negligence, trusting verbal promises without any written contract. Please consider this matter closed. From now on, Turbo and Fourwheels will have no involvement with the original agency. Any further issues will be handled by the camp, and Bo will not post anything else about this. Bo will continue to work hard. Thank you, everyone, for your support and trust. Please continue to follow the work of Turbo and Fourwheels in the future. Thank you all for listening and understanding.

(*I've had this auto-translated but checked it against other fan translations so it should be fairly accurate.)

Sadly, I don't know what company he used to be with but apparently he didn't even have a proper written contract. He wasn't given enough work while at the same time he was forbidden from taking other jobs to supplement his income. He also mentions not being paid. And after he left, the company then actively badmouthed him while still using his name. Just lovely.

I really hope their new company treats them better and gives them proper work because they're both cuties and (from what I can tell from their ig) extremely hard-working.

Another Thai BL actor (was it Perth Nakhun?) recently said that actors do read their contracts before signing but here that's obviously not the case. The blame still lies with the company because this is blatant exploitation and mismanagement of (often inexperienced) artists. Any professional talent agency wouldn't have oral contracts in the first place.

[indifferentinfatuation]

ft. tutor and his obsession with fighter's adam's apple

[astharoshebarvon]

Therapy Game Restart

[hwashitape]

that one Dongrang sprite that's like this *crushes his head in my fist*

[itsbinghebitch]

it's forever kinnporsche and vegaspete parallels hours: both captive, both thrust outside of their respective social roles, both brought together by power dynamics fuckery and made equal by their chains. this is where both parties become mirror images of each other (ep6 for kinnporsche, ep11 for vegaspete) and where the romantic inflection point actually occurs. almost any romance between opposing worlds contains that upside down/role reversal beat in the story (think of nlmg where palm and nueng are forced out of bangkok), but kpts does it so well here in the shortest time frame with the simplest symbolism. and for both pairings!!! i will never get over this show

[pickletrip]

One Room Angel slowly swept into my life and took me by surprise with such an interesting premise and great characters. So, even though it was from Japan, and I know how Japanese shows might end up, I chose to stay and find out what happened to the angel and how Kouki would change.

Did I expect the angel to disappear at some point? Yes.

Did I want the angel to disappear? No.

Did it make sense that the angel had to leave? Yes.

Did I end up smiling halfway through episode 6 only to realise this is the last episode and this is the time the angel would disappear? Yes...

What a beautiful and evocative show that touched upon the themes of communication, misunderstanding, death, loneliness and identity. Here I was expecting a cute little show with an amnesiac angel but I was given social commentary and responsibility packed into a short but effective narrative. It's not a show I would watch when I'm bored because it has the tendency to hit you with dark humour when you least expect it. But it's a show I'd recommend to anyone interested in delving deeper into Japanese filmmaking and narrative style.

I'm truly thankful and happy that I had the opportunity over the last 6 weeks to enjoy this show even though it constantly ripped my heart out. Hats off to these great actors and everyone who worked on this show.

[scarefox]

3 damn good recent BL dramas that are criminally underrated for some reason ???

Bed Friend (finished): friends with benefits with feelings to lovers, coworker relationship, secret relationship, hurt & comfort, sass, humor, high heat, humor, trauma healing, coping, PTSD, consent & k!nk negotiation, mental health & sex ed discussion (tw: child abuse, sexual harassment, attempted rape) [the serious topics get handled well]

Step by Step (ongoing): boss x employee, office work life (realistic), probably secret relationship, age gap, tension & mutual pining, coworker relationship (side couple), love triangle, clingy ex, maybe some heat since it’s 1 8 + idk 

La Pluie (ongoing): soulmates, temporary deafness where you only hear your soulmate, writer-cat-dad x vet, bonus point for many rainy scenes, humor, high heat according to the trailer 🤷‍♂️, perhaps rivals to lovers (side couple), misunderstandings, lovely sassy siblings

(all 3 are 1 8 + actually)

[dudeyuri]

This scene is a perfect distillation of My School President's spirit. It encapsulates what the show is all about at its heart. If MSP had a thesis statement it would be this scene. Etc and so on

[madeinjapan-thailand-blbambeyond]

MCF: MADE IN JAPAN

HIGUCHI KOUHEI

MASHIKO ATSUKI

[befuddledcinnamonroll]

Shadow episode 2 down!

Most of the adult figures already creep me out, but I full on want to yeet Yada into the sun. Fuck her. And all those asshole bullies. Poor Nai. My sweet baby. (Side note - thank you Shadow stylists for finally giving Fluke a decent haircut in a show).

It's really interesting, with many series I tend to do other things while I'm watching, like a puzzle or something, but with Shadow I feel like I really need to pay attention. There's a lot of visual storytelling going on here, especially with both leads having so much going on internally.

I'm particularly interested in the lighting when Dan & Nai are alone together. First in the church, the symbol of so much of their repression, where there is bright light coming from the outside, but it is made hazy & murky on the inside.

And then in the theater, when they're being playful, and there is darkness around them, but they are in the bright light together.

And let's face it, historically the theater is a much safer bastion for the gays than the church.

So the shadow itself... fascinating as a metaphor for Dan's sexuality. Anurak wants to drug or psychoanalyze it away (and considering queer history, the priest/psychologist combo is terrifying, yikes).

And then Dan thinks that the ghost of Trin is making it stronger, but that's also the same time he met Nai, someone who was visibly bullied for his sexuality in front of him.

I know I'm just starting here, and there's a lot more to unpack as we get through more episodes, with Nai also seeing ghosts, and the fact that they're doing Hamlet, where there's debate over whether Hamlet was truly seeing ghosts or just imagining them...

Color me intrigued.