#vietnamese gl

[ql-of-all-time-bracket]

QL of All Time - Round 1 (Loser Bracket): SẮC MÀU CÔNG SỞ (2023) vs Long Time No See (2017)

[squeakygeeky]

A boss/employee office romance Vietnamese GL just dropped. It's called Sắc Màu Công Sở (Office Color?) and it has English subtitles. Production values are low, but far from the lowest for Vietnamese GL I have watched (a story for another day). The English subtitles are hard coded which makes them a little hard to read, but they are passable and there are also Vietnamese subtitles which of course I am thrilled about.

They actually have at least one other series on their channel so I’ll check that out.

Fun fact: The Vietnamese term for GL is ‘bách hợp,’ which means ‘lily,’ making it a literal translation of the Japanese ‘yuri.’ This is in contrast to 'đam mỹ’ (BL) which is I assume is a Vietnamization of the Chinese ‘danmei.’

One short episode in and they were briefly enemies, they got crash into you and then they to turned out to have been childhood friends, so we’re off to a strong start.

[sapphorarelyreads]

GURL😭

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

This was the hardest monthly wrap up I ever had to do because I forgot about it until like two days ago and my brain is not at its best and I'm tired so I can't really write a lot. So anyway as usual, spoilers and opinions below, read at your own risk.

QL - Currently Watching

🇹🇼 Blue Canvas of Youthful Days [2/12] - I really like the look of this show and all the art. I'm not yet sold on the main couple as a possible item but I really like the characters individually. I adore the second couple. The scene with the hearing aid was beautiful and I like the fact that it's not about the couple. Perhaps in a bl from a different country this would be about them finally being able to communicate, but because Liu knows sign language, it's simply about helping Tan Yin. Don't know why but I really liked this.

🇰🇷🇹🇭 Eccentric Romance [8/12] - It's not the worst thing ever but at several points during the episodes I find myself asking, what am I watching?

🇹🇭 Every You, Every Me [4/8] - This show constantly surprises me. The different stories every week and the aspec rep was how they got me at first but now I'm invested in the meta and the absolutely adorable mains. And this show is just so gorgeous to watch.

🇹🇭 Fourever You [5/16] - Beautiful Pond. Cute Earth. I'm annoyed. Hopefully the next couple is better in terms of storyline.

🇹🇭 Jack & Joker [8/12] - Can they just get together first and then give me all the drama? I'm okay with that. I actually liked Love Mechanics, so give it to me. But Jack is all over the place with his behaviour, he says Joke is family and they seem to have a shared view of the future, and they sure behave as if they're a couple, but then he hides things from Joke, supposedly 'for his own good'. I feel for Joke, because he's being jerked around by Jack.

🇹🇭 Kidnap [8/12] - I love Ohm. And that is the one and only reason I'm still here.

🇰🇷 Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo [6/8] - I'm obsessed. I think about this show way too much. It's painful and beautiful, brilliant writing and visuals and I need it to be over but I don't want it to end. I think we're gonna have a second time skip since they are not in our present yet and I just want to see them happy.

🇰🇷 Love in the Big City [4/8] - Obsessed in a total different way. This story is like an open tab in my brain at all times. I'm dreaming of edits and gifsets. I think of Young and my chest tightens. I'm having a hard time writing about the second part of the show because it's just so much, although it feels lighter than the novel. I'm dreading the next part.

🇯🇵 Love is a Poison [7/10] - I love it here. Everything about it. This being Shiba's first love sure explains a lot, and the onsen date was amazing. I think the actors are nailing this.

🇹🇭 Peaceful Property [10/12] - I've said enough about it. I'm here for TayNew and trying to just ignore everything else.

🇹🇭 Perfect 10 Liners [1/24] - And so it begins. Every gmmtv boy is here and they are all playing engineers. They got two Flukes and everything. I wish Force wasn't once again an asshole jock and Book the clueless fool but I guess that's too much to ask. This is the couple I'm least interested here so I want to see the rest.

🇹🇼 See Your Love [3/13] - Taiwan just doing giving all the rep with disabled characters and as usual a parade of bl actors. It's fine for now.

🇯🇵 Smells like Green Spirit [6/9] - I love Mishima. I think the scenes with him and Kirino are always great. I'm still not totally on board with the romance but I'm somewhat fascinated with Yumeno.

QL - Finished

🇹🇼 First Note of Love - I feel like I need to rewatch this as a binge because I think this format didn't help this particular show. Although I like the mains and I really liked the actors, their romance never truly clicked for me. I need more of the sides. The language banter was my favourite thing about this.

🇹🇭 I Saw You In My Dream - This is super cute. They are all adorable and they actually communicate. Ultimately I was a little underwhelmed about the concept.

🇹🇭 Monster Next Door - It's fine. I like Big and he was great here. But I've already forgotten everything about this.

🇭🇰 Our Golden Times - I watched it. It was okay.

🇹🇭 Reverse 4 You - Pretty show. Good concept. Not great execution all the way through.

Dropped / On Hold

Waiting to binge - 🇹🇭 The Loyal Pin | 🇹🇭 Apple | 🇻🇳 Teenager Judge

Rose Watches OJBL

Same Difference aka Docchi mo Docchi (2014) - I don't even know what to say. It's not good. That's it.

Others - Watched

🇯🇵Densetsu no Head Sho| 🇰🇷Black Out | 🇯🇵Double

Upcoming Shows - November

As usual my ask box is open. Have a wonderful weekend💜

[respectthepetty]

But man, what about us ugly lesbians??!!! Thailand is giving us only beauty queen GLs!!! 😭☠️🤣

I'm unsure what I wrote to elicit this ask in my inbox, but . . .

*grabs your face with both of my hands and looks you in your eyes*

There are no ugly lesbians.

*squeezes your checks gently before I softly tug on your ear*

I've met a lot of lesbians and not one of them has been ugly because they simply

don't

exist.

I'm not writing this because I'm a slut either. Contrary to popular belief, even us sluts have standards. Like I can't fuck with lesbians who are transphobic because they're disgusting.

But general aesthetics? An UGLY-looking lesbian? Impossible. Different strokes for different folks, and each lesbian is beautiful to the people who will love them.

So although Thailand is giving y'all beauty queens, it's been reported that Engfa and Charlotte are a real-life couple.

Is it fanservice? Did they really get married in another country? I don't speak Thai, so I don't know, but Engfa has been very open about being bisexual, and when the bisexual delegation met in June, she was on our roster. [images from @i-got-the-feels]

Although I completely understand what you are saying, 1) I always support the girls, the gays, and the goths, so since Show Me Love is offering me two of those, I'm excited it's available free on YouTube now so more people can experience it, and 2) ugly lesbians don't exist, so you probably have a lot more in common with beauty queens than you think.

Also, if you are bothered by Thailand's GL offerings, you should try some other countries, like the disability-inclusive Filipino series Sleep with Me.

But be warned, the lesbians are gorgeous there as well only furthering my main claim that ugly lesbians don't exist.

Or watch the upcoming sports-themed Filipino series Rookie.

Perhaps the TikTok/YouTube Vietnamese GL Omai series will make you happy.

Or the supernatural Japanese series My Fairy Ghost will tickle your fancy.

And Japan also has the food-based She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat if that is more your flavor.

Maybe even try the bar-focused Korean GL She Makes My Heart Flutter.

No matter what you pick, there is a GL out there for you because much like real-life lesbians, you will find the beauty in one that connects with you.

Because ugly GLs just don't exist.

And neither do ugly lesbians.

[stardustizuku]

PART 2: What is Cinderella?

So, what exactly do I mean when I say “All Girl Dream of Cinderella”?

“Cinderella”, huh.

That’s obviously going to get some eyebrows raised. Because while, yes, Cinderella is a very popular story, it still very much is a western one, isn’t it? Why the universality of “every girl dreams of Cinderella?” How can I be so sure of “all girls”.

For starters, I’m not literally talking about the 1950 Disney’s Cinderella.

I’m more so using Cinderella as a signifier. A symbol. Something a bit bigger than Disney.

Truth is, there’s thousands of variants of the folk tale, which expand all over the world. Cinderella just happens to be the French variant.

But it exists in other countries outside of Europe: The Tale of Ye Xian, is Chinese; Tám and Cám, is Vietnamese - with the only noticeable difference being a goldfish instead of a fairy godmother and golden shoes instead of glass slippers. Korea has Kongjwi and Patjwi, which curiously enough, extends after marriage. The Iranian versions is called Moon-Forehead. The fairy tale has an extensive history and it expands far beyond western ideals. It exists in fairly different contexts.

So, I’m not literally talking about Cinderella, the Disney Movie.

I’m talking about the idea of Cinderella. What it represents.

At its core, Cinderella represents the idea of “something rightfully yours to have, being taken from you [Cinderella had a good life until her dad died], having to endure a lot of pain, but because you endured it gracefully, you gain the affection of others [enduring the abuse gets you help from animals and your fairy godmother], and because you’re such a good person you get a happily ever after [the prince]”.

If you switch around the parts and increment things here and there, you’ll find that most, if not all, cultures have something similar. For good reason.

It’s the idea that, even if something you have is taken from you, the universe will help you set everything in place. It’s the idea that good people succeed, and bad people suffer. It’s a good children’s story, that’s why you see it everywhere. The good will triumph over evil; you will get your happy ending.

But what happens when you grow up? Well, you start questioning the world, obviously.

You become a teenager.

You get sick and tired of Cinderella. I mean, who gets to decide what is good or bad? Why is my dream a man? Can’t I be an imperfect bad and messy girl, and still find a happy ending?

You’re exploring the world, so what’s the point of staying trapped in a story where the prize is a man? What’s the point of dreaming of princesses and castles, when there’s a city right outside your door?

So, you do what all teenagers do. You expand your horizons. You look at more nuanced material, you indulge in stories without happy endings, and maybe you experience some yourself. You face the world, you get heart broken, and its-

Exhausting. The world is chaotic, it’s confusing, and you’re suddenly not a wild and reckless as you were at thirteen.

You are tired.

You’ve seen pain, you’ve gotten hurt, you’ve fought, and you’ve bled, and everything is too much.

YET. You still want a happy ending.

And suddenly, you get Cinderella.

The exact same premise of, “your life was good, now it isn’t. But it should. And the universe will make sure you get a happy ending”.

But now, it hit harder. It’s much more real.

And before long, you indulge in it.

Cinderella is just that. The idea (and illusion) that there’s a clear right and wrong, a good and an evil. And, someday, the universe will reward you for being “good” by putting everything in its place.

That’s how stories like this become popular. Specially with older women and teenagers going through a rough patch in their life.

And while I say Cinderella in a very cishet view, there obviously are queer variants. (Trust me, there are plenty BL and GL Cinderella variants, but that’s an entirely different genre so we’ll put it aside for now). The flavor doesn’t really matter here. But the idea that “everything made wrong, will be put right in the end”.

It’s self indulgence, in its most raw form.

That’s why all girls dream of Cinderella.

It’s not that they dream of this Cinderella.

But they do dream about what it represents.

They dream about their rags turning into dresses. Maybe not literal dresses. But they do dream that they’ll look in the mirror and love what they see.

Maybe they don’t dream about a night at a ball, but they dream of night where they can go out and enjoy themselves. Maybe a nightclub, maybe a concert, maybe a bar, or even just an outing with a group of friends where they let loose.

And maybe they don’t dream of a Prince Charming - but they dream of love. Maybe they dream of companionship. Or the financial stability that comes with it. Or maybe they just dream of having an ending where everything feels right.

Every Girl Dreams of Cinderella - doesn’t mean every girl dreams of a cishet wedding; but they dream of a happy ever after where everything feels right. Whatever shape that takes.

Villainess stories, or in general Isekai shoujo and romance novels, are exactly that. A happy ever after, where everything works how it’s supposed to work. It functions in the way that you, as an AFAB person, were taught as a kid that the world works. Where there’s a prince, where there’s a wedding, and where there’s a dress.

While people write the story, I think it’s important to analyze what that story says. What is exactly that “dream” that was sold to us? And what does it mean that we dream of it as adult women, (and sometimes not even women, or women who like princes anymore)? That what Media is for. What is it that we find comfort in, why, and what does it say about us?

That said.

I find most disappointing, when people with the empathy of a straight white man start to talk about it this genre with contempt. Specially, romance literature aimed at older women.

Because while literature can risky, a point and deep and deconstructive - sometimes that’s not what the audience wants, or even needs.

Sometimes, tired women, want to be able to read stories where the obviously good girl wins, and the obviously bad one loses. Where a big strong man takes all your problems away, and you have the fantasy promised to you since you were a kid. Where, you get to sit back, relax and read about how the wold is okay. It’s right. About how things are working they should.

Men get a chance to do that with blockbuster movies, why can’t women have that too?

Are there things to criticize about them? Yes. That’s partially what I’m here to do.

But you also need to do this with compassion and understanding.

This is not a multimillion dollar film, so you (and I have to stress this with permanent market) CANNOT, approach them with the same cynicism you would a video essay about how the transforms franchise is sexist crap.

In normal life, no one will bat an eye about a guy liking the Fast and Furious franchise. But a woman liking Fifty Shades of Grey, or any of those raunchy pulp novels they sell at a discount bin in Barnes and Nobles - is very much mocked. Made fun of. And the same goes for shitty villainess webcomics and novels. Even a teenager liking shitty romance novels.

I mean, just look at the way people treat Twilight, Colleen Hoover books, heck, even Ali Hazelwood’s books are mocked sometimes. And if you turn to see the contempt many have for women publishing they Reylo Fanfic that, in no way affects others, it’s very obvious the scrutiny through which romance novels are put through - even when they’re meant to be thoughtless self-fulfilling fantasies.

For some reason, there’s this expectation that women have to have the moral high ground. All they consume must be perfect. Not raise eyebrows, not be provocative, and definitely not controversial. While men get to ogle at Megan Fox on 4K at a booked-out theater.

It is not an even playing field.

And you have to acknowledge it, before doing any sort of analysis.

Because the literature that women like, is always considered a lesser form of art (sometimes even compared to world war 1, in case you think I forgot about Twilight), the same criticism said, will have a different impact.

If someone points out that Sixteen Candles is kinda creepy, everyone ignores it. If someone points out Twilight is creepy, it causes media to run a hate campaign against teens who like it.

So, I wanted to make that clear.

While what I will talk about in the next few chapters is important, always bear in mind that: It’s not exclusive to the genre, and not a problem only women have to solve.

It’s also important to recognize that individual authors may not even be aware of what they create comes across. Not to say that they’re all completely blameless, but that the fault sometimes lies less in the individual and more so on the broader trends that permeate literature. Which, in turn, are a reflection of our societal expectations and constructs.

In a more digestible example: A single author writing about how the evil character is ugly, may not be bad. But if multiple authors start doing it, it may mean that we, as a society, apply moral values to beauty. And that must be examined. It’s also important to recognize what exactly makes this character “ugly”, and if that’s born out of our standards of beauty, hidden racism or ableism, and what can we do about it? How will you change based on that information?

It doesn’t mean that the author has any moral failing. They’re telling a story. But it’s our job as literature analysts, to decode what that says about us. As a society. And what it means that it became so popular.

I have this disclaimer because we will inevitably confront the ugly side of this analysis. And I have seen people get very weird about them. Rather point fingers about what author is or isn’t racist, or if their work is or isn’t sexist - to me is far more productive to look at it and ask: Hey, if this is popular, what does it say about us? Why do I like it? What ugly truth am I looking at, in this mirror I’m holding?

I do not wish to appoint moral value in what I’m looking at. Not right now. Because if you do, you throw everything into the garbage and say “it’s bad”, “it’s problematic”, or “it’s gross”. It limits your scope.

The scope I want is not to tell you, “this is good” or “this is bad”. I want to discuss the way that certain tropes originated, what this “Dream of Cinderella” means, and how it can potentially impacts us when we read it.

So, to start talking about this “Dream of Cinderella”, first we have to ask:

Well, who is Cinderella?

PREV << MASTERLIST >> NEXT

[twig-tea]

2, 11, 18

Coming back to this a week late because I could NOT make a decision, I remain forever on brand.

2. What was the Asian QL that got you to join fandom?

The one that got me writing meta on tumblr was La Pluie, thanks to the efforts of you and @lurkingshan. It was an effective campaign and I'm grateful you waged it!

8. Which Asian QL character is most misunderstood?

I had such a hard time choosing who to write about, this is the one that I kept deleting and rewritng. Patts in La Pluie comes to mind as a man who was pushed to the brink. Sailom from Wedding Plan is definitely one that stands out for me because I was in the camp that misunderstood him until Lom's full situation and Nuea's background came out and we got to see just how intensely the power dynamic between him and Namnuea was actually not in Lom's favour after all; and then he gave one of the best apologies in BL and won me over fully. I've also written before about how Noh from Secret Crush on You seems to skirt by without being understood as the freak4freak he is. I thought about writing about The Eclipse, but I think that entire show is misunderstood to be honest. What a waffle-y answer, but the short version is: Any character who makes an in-character, narrative-justified mistake. I like it when characters aren't perfect. Anyway since I started this draft, I've binged Miracle of Teddy Bear and now think the answer is Tofu. Both main characters are not understood, but Tofu in particular has been mischaracterized and his agency undermined. Working on a bigger post about this.

11. Which Asian country's BL is usually your favourite?

I have favourite BLs from all countries and origin isn't a guarantee I"ll like or dislike any particular show. In terms of percentage, I tend to love a greater ratio of Japanese BLs, some of that being due to manga and anime being my entry point into Asian queer media. But my favourite series is Thai (UWMA), and I have a real soft spot for Pinoy BL (Gaya Sa Pelikula and more recently Marahuyo Project rewired my brain) and Vietnamese BL (Hey! First Love) too, and two of my favourite comfort series are Korean (Our Dating Sim) and Taiwanese (History 2: Crossing the Line). There just tend to be fewer misses for me from Japan in relation to the number of hits, and by hard numbers the majority of my favourites are from Japan. If we're talking GL though, Korea currently reigns in this category (with of course entries from everywhere, because I can never actually pick a fave).

[moony-rabbit]

i was literally JUST talking about how good yuri is so hard to find with a friend today, ravioli ravioli give me the yuri reccomenduoli please & thank you🙏

OMGGGGGGG I didn't expect someone to actually ask me for yuri recommendations but wow! Anways here we go!

Actual GLs

After The Curtain Call

A manhwa about the budding romance between a theatre nerd and her favorite actress. It's really short compared to other manhwa/manga on the list, only 51 chapters, but it is SOOOOOOO good. The art is nice, the characters are funny and adorable, the plot is clean cut and doesn't feel rushed at all. A perfect choice if you want to read something relaxing and comedic. It's one of my favorite manhwa!

Her Tale of Shim Chong

A historical love story of two girls from different social classes: a beggar and a noble lady, who just got married to the local chancellor. The art is simply stunning. The story works with some rather heavy themes, mainly sexism but also involve depiction of suicide and SA (none of them are realized, but still some parts can be quite triggering if you're sensitive about the subject). This one is over 80 chapters long with side stories.

(side note but apparently the author of this manhwa defended another artist who used revenge porn as art reference. It's not related to Her Tale of Shim Chong's content, but I still want to mention that just in case.)

Not So Shoujo Love Story

Now this one is a masterpiece. If you love a good laugh, you surely can't skip this one. The art is gorgeous since day one but it keeps getting better. The humor is off the chart. It isn't afraid of dabbling in heavy subjects at time either, and the drama is executed quite well (though you'll have to brace yourself for a lot of mood whiplash). There's currently two seasons, but it seems like there might be a third in the future. Anyhow, this one is a 10/10 for me.

She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat

A lovely slice-of-life manga about two neighbors falling in love. I really like this manga, it's like a breeze of fresh air after reading so many silly young yuri. The two main characters are all adults, so the tone of the manga is softer than the typical schoolgirl yuri slice-of-life. I really like how fat positive it is too (definitely a big plus point). I heard this one was picked up by a publisher though, so the English translation got taken down. Idk if they have published it yet or not, but if you ever come across it, this manga is definitely worth the money.

Butterfly Soup and Butterfly Soup 2

This one is a little different to the other ones on the list, as it's a video game. The game is free to download, and there's even a mobile version so you can install it on your phone. It tells the story of four Asian American girls and their adventure with the school's baseball club. The main characters in the first game are the two on the right of the picture, and the other two are focused on in the second game. The game talks a lot about racism, queerphobia, xenophobia, and also touches on disabilities too (one of the main characters is deaf in one ear). I really like the game, and it's pretty fast to play through too. If you want to try out a yuri game, you can try out this one.

Special mention: I don't want to add another button for it bc this is getting long already, but if you're interested in GL games and want to find more, NomnomNami does have a lot of yuri games in stock for you, like her tears were my light.

The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't A Guy At All

Okay I have no idea how did I forget to add this one to the list when I first made the draft THIS IS A CRIME. Anyways, this was one of my first GL ever. I read it in English on Manhwatop at first, stopped, then found it again in Vietnamese and have been following it since. The art is phenomenal, the interaction between the two girls are heart-fluttering, the tension is well-written and doesn't feel forced or dragged out like comedies sometimes have. I really, really, really like the main girls as well as their friends, it's just *chef's kiss*. Wish I have half of Koga's rizz really.

Not confirmed GLs/not romance-oriented but has a hefty amount of yuri hints anyways

(this is a very indulgent list because I REALLY like these ones, please understand (* _ _) 人)

Kiyo in Kyoto: From The Maiko House

A slice-of-life manga about the daily life in a maiko manor, pretty obvious from the name. What makes me add it into the list is, the manga is absolutely packed with yuri subtext. Actually, it's not even subtext anymore. Every once a dozen chapters there will be one that seems like it walks straight out of a GL. Besides the subtext, the story itself is really cute too. The manga is nearly 300 chapters now but they'll be over in the blink of an eye once you start it. If you need something to heal your soul after a long day, Kiyo in Kyoto might be the perfect choice for you.

The Dark Lord's Confession

Okay there's a million things I could say about this one and yet none of them can do it justice. It has everything: humor, drama, angst, hot women, amazing art, great music, hot women, strong lovable characters, morally grey characters with the power to divide the fandom into two. This manhwa is classified as fantasy, but the feelings between Lapis and Calla (the ones above) have been confirmed as romantic love. The lore is mindblowing, to say the least. There's some rather annoying loredumping conversations but if you are willing to close an eye for it, everything else will be more than enough to outweight the occasional exposition. Beware for mood whiplash though, this manhwa will make you keel over from laughing and kick you in the gut with a steel toe shoe in the span of three chapters.

Star Dream Idol Project

Before you say anything I'll have to let you know I am a HUGE. Fan of this one. I first read it in 6th grade and thought "oh wow these girls are def gonna be the endgame". Guess how heartbroken I was when it turned out untrue. I still have a lot of complaints about the loveline but let's put that aside for now.

This is one of my favorite manhua, not just because of the gayass friendship between the two main characters, but also because of how well-written everyone is. There's no "female side characters being evil for no reason" bullshit. All of them are treated with respect as real, valid human beings instead of canon fodders. And while I'm not fond of the love interests, I have to admit the way the author handles romance in this manhua is quite unexpected. My favorite thing about it is that it values the girls as themselves and does not force them to enter a romantic relationship at the end of the story. In fact, only one of them got married at the end, the other two are still single and happy with their life.

About the two main characters, they can only be accurately described as soulmates. It will always be them. They are the most important person in each other's life because of their own choosing. The devotion they have for each other is insane. They tick like every single boxes in childhood friends romance tropes I'm not even exaggerating. If you read it and get hooked like I was, I suggest you stop reading at the final chapter (351) and do not read the side story to avoid heartbreak.

----

That's all for now! If you do check them out, pls stop by and drop an ask if you find it good! (*^▽^*)

[spicyvampire]

Hey, i love your posts and had a question - where do you watch the asian shows from? The site i frequented no longer works and a different one i found doesn't have all the ones I'm watching :(

So there is multiple things

I'll start with the official streaming sites you got [VIKI] [GAGA] [IQIYI], if you have money and want to support those show, I'd advise to get a subscription from those, I think the gaga subscription is like 2$/month and you get like a vast variety of Asian bl from Taiwanese to Japanese without forgetting Thai and Korean, they also always have the uncut versions of the episodes

If you don't have money but still want to support this shows officially for free, there is a bunch of channels that actually put their shows on youtube [STRONGBERRY] [IDOL FACTORY] [GMMTV] [O2 PRODUCTION], the reason why I'm saying this is because it's very important that those channels get the views so they keep making those good stuff, like O2 production is like one of the only place I get kinda quality Vietnamese bl rn and Strongberry literally just never miss on the Korean bl part, Idol factory is currently giving us horny gl rights so again gotta support it so we get more of that, the only problem with youtube is if the show is too horny then they have the cut version of it but tbh I have not had that problem with specific channels I put here

But then there is bl that are just hard to find and you might not have the money to pay for them so these are my go-to websites rn [WEBSITE 1] [WEBSITE 2], website 1 has like every Thai and Taiwanese bl I've watched on it within the hour after the bl being out and I mean it, idk for Japanese bl they are always more tricky with the subs problem and all but honestly everything else is there at lightning speed and it always has the uncut version of the episodes, website 2 has the biggest variety of Asian shows/movies out there that includes bl, like if it exist it's probably there and if it isn't then start crying, they get new eps within the day it aired or like a day or two afterwards, there is like a bunch of varieties of url for that one but the one I linked is like what I've been using the longest and it works, this one also has the uncut version

Hope this helps

[sapphire-to-the-rain]

tagged by @rag3-n-lov3 thank you!!!

favorite color: general answer blue, specific answer ~indigo~

last song: only one by VCHA

currently reading: autoboyography by christina lauren and also some fantasy YA book because i tutor some 7th graders in english woohoo

currently watching: 23.5 (thai gl series on youtube)

currently craving: vietnamese spring rolls....

coffee or tea: tea but specifically korean lemon honey tea with pine nuts. where my yujacha enjoyers at

tagging @sexynetra @riseandfallofme @lov4hgirl @clearcloudlesssky and anyone who wants to :3

[ql-of-all-time-bracket]

QL of All Time - Round 1: Cooking Crush (2023-2024) vs SẮC MÀU CÔNG SỞ (2023)

[squeakygeeky]

Pronoun Use in Stupid Boys, Stupid Love

f you haven’t seen this one, it’s one of my genuine recommendations, it’s lighthearted and adorable. Despite the title, there’s a GL couple. It’s about 5 high school friends and they all use rude pronouns (tao/mày) with each other. But what I thought it would be interesting to post about, inspired by a recent post about using first names as pronouns in Thai, is the character Kim.

The main character, Nghĩa, is a boy who suddenly finds himself crushing on his best friend. Nghĩa seems well aware that the friend in question likes boys. Thanh is a girl with short hair who wears the boys version of the uniform. When Nghĩa is trying to figure out how he feels about his crush, it’s made clear that he views Thanh as a girl for purposes of his hugging experiments (just a scary girl he’s not willing to risk hugging). Thanh has a crush on her more feminine friend, who sounds open to dating any gender.

Kim wears the boy’s uniform, but in the last episode in the English subtitles, Thanh refers to Kim being the younger sister of a teacher (who is played by Ba Vinh because what VBL would be complete without him?). The subtitles switch from using ‘he’ to ‘she’ to refer to Kim in that episode. I think Thanh said ‘em gai,’ which is indeed ‘younger sister,’ but I’m not 100% sure, maybe it was just ‘em’ which is ‘younger sibling.’ So I honestly can’t tell you whether a translator went rogue or not. If any native speakers want to help me out, here’s the clip. Both Nghĩa and Thanh view Kim as a serious romantic rival, so in a more typical show, Kim would be a male character.

Kim, literally coming between not one but two couples:

I have absolutely no idea what gender, if any, we’re supposed to assume that Kim has. Everyone always uses ‘Kim’ as the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person pronoun for Kim. It’s not unusual to use first names and 1st and 2nd person pronouns in Vietnamese. It’s especially common for conversations between men and women. I’ve also seen it used in another drama so a group of students in different grades could talk to each other without being rude but also without implying a senior/junior relationship. But it does stand out in this show because of the way that Kim seems to exclusively use Kim as a pronoun, except of course with Kim’s elder brother, where ‘em’ is used.

All I have to add as a final note is that Kim (second from right) is very tall and for some reason boys at this school wear male ao dai for their uniforms, when it’s not even common irl for girls to have to wear ao dai all the time.

[crystallinestars]

OMG I almost completed my response to you on my phone... then the Tumblr app refreshed and nuked it all. So sad 😿 No such thing as a too long response from you tho ! Your thoughts are always really interesting to read.

For real though, same with wanting to celebrate hahaha. Actually tomorrow I might go get myself milk tea🧋to mark the occasion hahaha. Let's celebrate this banner and Pride Month 😼

I figured that the lack of Kaveh in the banner was due to the whole Destroyer of Worlds thing, but to be over a year, it feels like overkill at this point. 😭 I guess I'll keep an eye out for any Nilou-related banner leaks, as that might signal Kaveh's return...

I'm so shook about those localization issues 😭 The masculine pronouns thing, that's a REALLY big mess up on the part of the translators!! I don't want to go full dunking on them or anything but it's really weird that such errors were made... And pushing the whole personal beliefs thing is really wrong... Like translating CN, JP to EN in a way that conveys the original nuance is definitely challenging, whyyy would they just toss in their own agenda as well...?

I wonder if CN->JP and CN->KR deals with any similar issues... I've heard that for some non-English, non-CJK localizations, the translation is first run through a second language and then the target language, which I feel really makes things even more murky. 🫠

Yeah when such fans make sexuality HCs, they fixate most on either exclusively gay or exclusively lesbian. Probably it's cos if they chose anything else, they feel that the possibility of their fave (or the characters in their fave ship) being shipped with the opposite gender is too threatening. Ofc they could have fun with these HCs and enjoy making them with their friends, but these days it seems like they aren't even having fun anymore and they're just using these HCs as a reason to get mad at + harass those who disagree with them...

And now that you mention it, indeed I don't think I've ever seen a straight HC ! It's as if they are too afraid to do this hahaha. Or like, they use the most stereotypical criteria to determine what is "straight" and what is not. Flashback to the Kaveh rant from before hahahah. Like these people are all about bringing down the binary+gender roles til it comes to BL stuffs then they are suddenly OK with the heteronormativity that they are supposedly against. 💀 But it is pretty weird that they try to grasp at anything to prove "not straight, not straight!" Like how come they can't just make their HC in peace without needing to aggressively prove things, without going sicko mode on people with different HCs? 🤨 As far as I know, I haven't seen people from our lil corner of Kavehnation the fandom attempt to storm some rando's post with the intention of going "no!!!! ___ should be with a [man/woman/etc]!!!!" Like we definitely have strong words about the state of things, but overall we're minding our own business without having to bug people who think differently from us.

Oh Mihoyo, look what you've created... I guess that in fandom, BL/GL stuffs tend to be most appealing for some reason. So they're able to keep around the most unhinged, rabid parts of the fandom because of the massive BL/GL ship pandering that they do... haizz.

The thing about toxicity in Chinese fandom is interesting!!! 😲 When you say that there are the fans who fight over BL and NL ships, is it like those old-school ship wars? Like "my ship is better than yours!!! 😡" thing minus the 2020s homophobia accusations...?

And you mention the Russian fandom!! This makes me remember when last year, I corresponded with a Russian Genshin enjoyer. She was pretty much exclusively into BL ahahah. But I think I've seen Russian Genshin artists who make NL stuff !

I've witnessed a bit of Vietnamese fandom, only on Twitter though and it seems that NL is decently popular. ScaraLumi in particular seems to be a hit with many VN fans, popular enough to warrant the creation of a zine (which I wanted to preorder but was too late for!! but I digress again)

It was a pleasant surprise to see that Aventurine has two popular NL ships ^^ I could def see AvenStelle becoming the next ChiLumi hahaha, I know that there was even an artist who iirc even drew a ChiLumi + AvenStelle thing cos to her they have such similar vibes/dynamics. And yeah I'm hoping that they don't try to tie Aventurine to Ratio and do the same pandering stuff that they did in Genshin...

And it's so unfortunate for Kaveh. 😞 It's the reason why people think of him as just "ship bait," cos of the way Mihoyo treats him, and then how the fandom treats him in turn...

I'm surprised by the number of NL ships for him though! I only knew about KavehLumi, Kavelou, Kaveh+Faruzan, and then from your previous responses Kaveh+Candace ! I didn't know that he's been paired with Layla too :o (Speaking of Layla, I've been getting into Alhaitham+Layla recently which is apparently rarepair 😪)

And OMG KavehLumi week!!!! I looked at the prompts, I could feel the gears turning and the inspiration cooking hahahah. I will see if I could do some writing stuffs for this (I wish I could do art too, but alas I have no art skill).

For Kaveh food, I'd like to do mostly writing stuff, be it just solo focus, with Lumine/Nilou, or with OC ! I would like to fully understand his personality tho, as I feel that I don't fully have a grasp of like... his POV I guess? I don't want to mischaracterize him. 😅 Like I guess for me, writing Kaveh would be easier compared to more brooding types like Scara, Xiao, etc. but still... And I'd also like to read more books so that I could find ways to improve my writing quality. I guess whatever food I end up cooking, it'll mostly be for the sake of writing exercise, although I'm hoping it would be at least sufficiently readable.

Big thanks for your kind words!!! So 4th member is Bennett. My lineup is now Layla, Faruzan, Scara, Benny. I'm a lot more satisfied with this team compared to my previous one because it feels like everyone serves a purpose and gets the job done hahahah. Like my previous team was just smashing and bashing everything with elemental reactions, but this new team utilizes mechanics like shields, supports, etc... I feel good hahahah.

Big thank you always for the interesting discussions and kind responses!!!! Hope you have a warm and peaceful day 🙌🏻

Welcome back 🍓Anon! So sorry to hear about tumblr deleting your text 😢 Maybe next time you could try typing it out on the notes app on your phone, and then copy-pasting it? I don’t think you have the luxury of saving your ask as a draft like I do.

lol go get that milk tea and get me a cup too! There’s a lot to celebrate this month already 😎

Yeah, the pronoun thing was a huge error on the translators’ part, but I don’t fault them for it too heavily. I don't speak or understand Chinese so feel free to correct me if what I say is wrong, but as far as I know, Chinese as a language is not as gendered as English is. A lot of the time you can only determine the gender of people based on context, and they often use gender-neutral terms.

This is something I saw someone else point out, so I can’t prove if this is correct, but in Chinese, they have a special gender-neutral term when referring to deities (that's why all the Aeons in HSR are referred to as 'they'). Going off of this, I can see how the translators could have gotten mixed up, or not have known the gender of some of the characters (mind you, this mistake was made long before Nahida and Arlecchino were revealed), so they defaulted to masculine pronouns.

I’ve seen English localizers push their political agendas in the anime and games they translated (ex: miss kobayashi's dragon maid), but I don’t think Hoyoverse’s translators fall into that category. Considering how popular Genshin is, I would imagine people would have pointed out long ago if there were huge discrepancies between English and Chinese dialogue. That doesn't mean the translators aren't including biases in their translations, we just don't know for sure. But if they are, then it's not as egregious/obvious as with Kobayashi, for example.

And you’re right, the translation for other languages all comes from a single language, which happens to be English. The gender mistake wasn’t found in CN, KR, and JP, but EN and all other languages had it. So it’s safe to say they use English as the baseline for the other translations (maybe there are some exceptions, but I'm not aware of them).

lol you are absolutely right about the hypocrisy of certain BL/GL shippers! They want to dismantle the binary and gender roles, and get upset at straight pairings for promoting traditional gender roles, but then use these exact stereotypes for their queer ships. If you call them out on their hypocrisy, they’ll claim it’s “better/more interesting” when it’s done with a gay pairing vs a straight one.

Heck, even in real life I’ve seen a male celebrity post an innocent photo of him and his wife online, and some comments were saying how seeing a straight couple is boring, and that gay couples are more interesting. Like damn, do queer people only exist as pure entertainment for them?

Mihoyo is definitely to blame for feeding into the delusions of toxic shippers, but I also have to wonder why BL and GL is so popular in the first place. BL has a huge market, and it predominantly consists of women. I did some research into why women in particular like BL, but to be honest, I still don’t get it. It’s not a mindset I can ever understand or relate to. Similarly, a lot of fujoshi can’t understand the mindset of women who like NL or self-insert, and so we get a lot of conflict regarding shipping.

There are as many outlooks on shipping as there are people in the world, and there will always be conflict. Ever since the invention of the internet, it became harder to avoid conflicting opinions since it's so much easier to find them now.

Regarding toxicity in the Chinese fandom. My friend never divulged any details, so I can’t say for sure, but I imagine ship wars there are as you described them. I have also seen some Chinese fanartists have similar grievances as us regarding BL baiting and delusional behaviors of fujoshi. It seems to be a universal thing.

VN fandom sounds heavenly 😭 omg.

Alhaitham x Layla is definitely cute! There’s an artist I follow that made some really good fanart of them (https://mobile.x.com/luckylalal/media). I also like Alhaitham x Lisa haha. I feel like every NL ship is a rarepair, barring certain MC ships. It’s just so dry in this fandom 😭 But whenever someone expresses how NL shippers have it rough in fandom, the toxic people come out of the woodwork to mock us, saying “The straights like to act so oppressed, but if they just go outside, they’ll see a ton of straight couples 🙄” and I just 🤦‍♀️. Because first of all, fictional ships and real life are completely different things! Second of all, not only straight people like NL ships. And third, bi and pan people in different-sex relationships exist too😩 But not in their eyes, clearly :/ But I digress.

If you write anything for Kavehlumi week, I will be over the moon! I would love to have a lot of content to share on my Twitter to spread the love! No pressure, though.

If you’re looking to get a better grasp on Kaveh’s character, I recommend his hangout if you haven’t done it already. I sometimes replayed it to remind myself of how Kaveh actually is, because the fandom's portrayal of him does him so dirty. The interdarshan event was also pretty good at showing his personality and values, so if you can find a youtube video of it, it might help.

As a word of advice from a fellow writer, the stuff you write is better than you think. You might write something and think it’s cringy or not good, but there are people out there who will love it and say it’s amazing. We are our own worst critic, but that doesn't mean others think the same of our work the way we do. So don’t be afraid to share your writing!

Your Scara has everything he needs, honestly. Two of the best buffers in the game, and the best 4 star shielder plus a healer. Congrats on having built your first proper team!

I'm glad you enjoy reading my thoughts because I enjoy reading yours too! You're very sweet, 🍓 Anon ☺️ I hope you have a great day yourself (no more sleeping for only 3 hours)!

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

How is it that summer is over? There were too many shows and a lot of really bad endings. So anyway as usual, spoilers and opinions below, read at your own risk.

QL - Currently Watching

🇹🇼 First Note of Love [9/12] - The actors are the only thing making me believe the main romance. Their scenes together are good but overall I'm just not connecting to their romance. I really enjoy the language banter of the side couple but they don't have enough screen time for me to be all that invested. This show is suffering from having two couples with such short episodes.

🇹🇭 I Saw You In My Dream [11/12] - I like the couples a lot and I'm here for all the good communication. Both between the couples and the friends. I think it was @he-is-lightning-in-a-bottle that first wrote about the two types of dreams, the ones with floating objects and the ones without and the first ones being about insecurities and the rest are things that can happen in the future and it's all about the couple. I guess that's okay but honestly I was hoping for more. Still, I'm really enjoying this.

🇹🇭 Jack & Joker [4/12] - I love War. He's beautiful and I love to watch him act. His face is just amazing. This show is so unserious but aware so it's just incredibly fun to watch.

🇹🇭 Kidnap [4/12] - Like I said, it's the most bl, a bl ever bl'd. And the show knows it, so I'm just enjoying the ride and Ohm being so pretty on my screen.

🇯🇵 Love is a Poison [3/10] - I love it here. I love that Shiba knows exactly who Haruto is and still can't help but fall for him. I can't wait to find out why Haruto is so invested in Shiba. I am living for these succulents.

🇹🇭 Monster Next Door [10/12] - I'm gonna be honest. I'm not as invested in this one as other people but that was heart breaking. I really felt for God. Like I get where Diew is coming from but he needs to communicate. Yes him getting stuck in the lift was not his fault but the problem had already started by then so God's fears were understandable. I really hope that Diew can overcome his anxiety to be able to communicate with God. The sides are just doing the friends to lovers usual dance.

🇹🇭 Peaceful Property [5/12] - This is gonna be so interesting with the latest revelation. I'm having such a great time with this and I really like how their using the weekly cases. I love TayNew, they are married already in my mind.

🇹🇭 Reverse 4 You [4/8] - I'm enjoying this one. I like how they're using the powers, although I wish Wa would've let Khun confess because that was bit cruel considering he doesn't have a shot, so he would have had a chance to just move on. Also the show is just really pretty.

🇯🇵 Smells like Green Spirit [2/9] - This is less bl and more coming of age and it will not be the easiest of watches, but I really like the pacing and the visuals. Very curious to see a couple of scenes adapted.

🇻🇳 Teenager Judge [1/20] - Another stepbrother trope bl. There's only one episode yet but this has a very student film look about it. The pacing is also a bit different but I'm reserving judgement. I like the leads and the friend group.

🇹🇭 Unlock Your Love [3/8] - It's okay. I like the couples, and I do like Love a lot, she has a gorgeous smile, but I'm more into the side couple.

QL - Finished

🇹🇭 4 Minutes - the first of so many bad endings lately. I'm gonna keep this short. It was a fun ride but ultimately undermined by the ending.

🇯🇵 Happy of the End - It was a painful ride that seemed more interested in depicting the horrors than in telling a cohesive story or one about healing. And although on the surface it might look like an happy ending, I don't believe these characters have actually grown or healed at all. The actors did an incredible job but I felt like the show just gave us pain for seven and half episodes and then slapped a pretty picture at the end.

🇯🇵 I Hear the Sunspot - Great first half. The second half completely destroyed Taichi and like her or not, Maya's introduction was not handled well and it didn't serve the main story. This could've been one of the best shows of the year and instead it goes down as one of the biggest disappointments for me.

🇹🇭 Live in Love - I don't really know what to say. This has got to be one of the worst endings of all time, and that's saying something. Just awful, nobody watch this.

🇯🇵 Mitsuya Sensei no Keikakutekina Ezuke - One of the biggest surprises for me. Yes I wish I had a kiss, cause god knows Ishida was so readyand had earned it, but it was such a wholesome and fun show, with beautiful direction and great performances. Oh and the dog.Frito is one of the best bl pets ever.

🇯🇵Sugar Dog Life - The most adorable of boys. Perfect ending. Final thoughts here.

🇯🇵 Takara No Vidro - I love them. That's it. I need to rewatch but I just adored this show and the way our couple came together. Takara has my whole heart.

🇹🇼 The On1y One - I am still pissed. There were so many ways to end this story and they chose that??? It feels manipulative, specially considering the director has been begging for fan support in order to get a second season.

🇰🇷The Time of Fever - I'm so normal about this show. I don't even think of it as a prequel. Just a stand alone show, it was beautifully acted, incredibly shot and I'm still thinking about it daily. I wish I could watch them do ten more shows. It was perfect for me.

🇯🇵Twilight Out of Focus - What a beautiful show. The art is incredible and I loved all the couples in different ways although the first remains my favourite. And the little red thread at the end was a nice little gift. 🇹🇭 The Trainee - Well I guess Jane couldn't be too perfect. It wasn't amazing but I loved it. It was a good ensemble show with a side of bl, but it was so much fun to watch and well written. I will always watch a OffGun show, or really a Gun or a Off show, so what's next?

Dropped / On Hold

Dropped - 🇹🇭 The Hidden Moon

Waiting to binge - 🇹🇭 Addicted Heroin | 🇹🇭 The Loyal Pin

Rose Watches OJBL

So my journey continues and since I've watched most of the 'good' ones, most of what's left will definitely not be the best. I'm going through the list that @absolutebl was kind enough to share in this answer. Check it out in case you wanna watch some classic jbl.

Boys Love (2006)- There's an attempt at something here but it's completely failed by the execution. The pacing is all over the place, the character development is very superficial and it just doesn't allow for any real connection to them or the story. Basically this is not good. First Love (2007) - Again, not good. I honestly don't really understand what it wanted to say, except as the title suggests first love, but the whole plot feels disjointed and that ending just felt like it came out of nowhere. Just poor quality all around. Kota has a sweet smile though.

Others - Watched

🇯🇵To Each His Own (2017) 🇯🇵Himitsu no Nacchan(2023) 🇯🇵 I Am What I Am (2022) 🇰🇷Misaeng: Incomplete Life (2014)

Upcoming Shows - October

🇹🇭 Fourever You: Part 1 | October 3 | YT Cut Version (more info here) 🇹🇭 Apple My Love | October 5 | GagaOOLala 🇹🇭 Every You, Every Me | October 6 | GagaOOLala 🇰🇷Eccentric Romance | October 10 | Viki 🇰🇷Love in the Big City | October 21 | No news on int distribution

As usual my ask box is open. Have a wonderful week💜

[absolutebl]

2022 BL - The Shoulder Lean Trope

There was so much BL in 2022 that with a few popular tropes I just stopped updating the old trope posts and started to collect for a new on. The shoulder lean is probably top of that list. By far BLs most popular trope I think darn never every BL uses this one. 

My Only 12% (combined with boys contemplating water trope) 

21 Days Theory (classic car execution) 

Blueming (in a bus, old school) and

in a bed, much less old school. 

That’s My Candy 

Check Out 

Choco Milk Shake 

Dear Doctor, I’m Coming For Your Soul (god it was so lovely to see KarnNat back on my screen) 

DNA Says Love You 

The Eclipse 

KinnPorsche

Meow Ears Up 

My Secret Love 

Ocean Likes Me 

Oh My Sunshine Night 

Our Days 

Plus and Minus 

Star in my Mind 

Sky In My Heart

Vice Versa 

Want To See You 

BONUS GL 

GAP the series 

[kykyonthemoon]

Last updated on July 2024

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