#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💜

[fluent-in-lesbianism]

Thank you for introducing me to thai gl shows!! Im using your handy dandy list!! I’m about to finish Gap (my first one, felt right) and I’m LOVING it. It’s so tender and they have incredible chemistry. It’s just the kind of soft media I’ve been in the mood for! Okay, bye love youuuuu

Proof that the gay agenda Corporate randomly assigned me this year is going perfectly...

[moosemink]

Workin alone looks different

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ CH2 - The lecture ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Pairing: No actual Romance just some mentioned, JayRoy | TimKon | BirdFlash Characters: Batfam | Justice League Word count: 2.537 A/N: Here is Chapter two, hope you enjoy ^^ AO3 Masterlist for W.A.L.D.

CW: Fight scene and swearing (nothing too extreme this is rated T)

‧⋆ ✧˚₊‧⋆. ✧˚₊‧⋆‧⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆‧⋆ ✧˚₊‧⋆. ✧˚₊‧⋆‧

The sun had just set over Central City as Barry and Hal left the restaurant.

Barry decided that he would bring Iris here on their anniversary, if the place was still open by then.

He had gotten an anonymous tip that the fancy Vietnamese restaurant was a front for the mob. Despite that their food was great and the atmosphere had been top notch.

Sadly neither of the two heroes had been able to find anything suspicious while eating there.

So they had decided to leave and head for the nearest bar to maybe see if they could pick out any rumors. Anything to confirm the tip off.

Hal had just told a joke he found particularly funny when Barry slammed his arm into the lantern’s chest. Hal opened his mouth to complain when he saw the serious look on his friend’s face. Barry shushed him and moved his arm from Hal’s chest to point down the alley. Hal had to do a double take.

Not only was there clearly a big drug deal going on in the garage at the end of the alley, there was also a very curious character among the mobsters.

“That- No way!”, he muttered under his breath.

“Shiiit.”, Barry whispered back.

“Isn’t he supposed to be a Gotham only guy ?”, Hal’s face contorted into a scowl.

“I thought so too, guess he took the chance of Bats being off world to expand, or something. But why Central City ?”, Barry almost whined. His eyebrows furrowed in anger and annoyance.

“Bastard couldn’t have chosen a better time, huh ?”, Hal tried to joke but he suddenly choked on his own breath when he realized the man in question was staring straight at them. At least he guessed so as he couldn’t see the man’s face under the blood red helmet. But those white lenses, that had no business being that intimidating, were glaring Hal straight into his soul.

Red Hood, the red helmeted crime lord that was among the JL’s most wanted was in front of them.

A shudder went down Hal’s spine. He took out his ring and slowly put it on while he saw Barry getting ready to change in the corner of his eye. He kept eye contact and hood inclined his head as if to challenge him to dare finish putting on the ring.

Hal dared to do just that and all hell broke loose.

The leather clad crime lord pulled one of his guns out and shot a warning shot. The mobsters around him started to scramble and scatter. Barry moved in with full speed to try and catch as many as he could.

Hal, still holding eye contact with the crime lord, watched the man walk towards him calmly. He reached behind him and pulled out a- a fucking crowbar.

Red Hood was planning on fighting him with a fucking crowbar. Hood skillfully twirled it in his right hand, the other hand hovering over the gun that he had holstered again.

“The Lion, the witch and the audacity of this bitch!”, Red Hood spat as he caught the crowbar and pointed it straight at Hal. Then Hood set off in a sprint towards the green hero, much faster than said hero had anticipated.

‘How the fuck can that fridge of a man move that fucking fast ?!’ Hal wasn’t done conjuring a weapon and it was too late to switch it over to a construct for defense.

Hal would like to say he took that crowbar with grace but the definitely very manly yelp that escaped him betrayed that wish. He could feel a violent bruise form on his forearm. The lantern grit his teeth and readied his fist to return the favor but Red Hood hadn’t stopped after hitting Hal.

He had kept running past the hero. Confused and Flabbergasted GL stood there for a moment until a red blur sped past him.

He watched his friend try to tackle the rogue only to be rewarded with a bullet to the shoulder. Barry face planted with a yelp and Hal was moving before he realized, he conjured up a large cage to catch Hood.

Said man performed a back hand spring that looked a bit awkward for his build to evade Hal’s attempt and kept running down the closest alley.

Flash stood up and started giving chase. Hal hot on his heels.

Then Barry took off down a different alley than Hood and Hal knew that he was planning on cutting the rogue off.

Hal conjured up a large net to hopefully block off Hoods escape in his direction. He trusted Barry to take him down this time.

“You’re fucking shitting me.”, Hood growled as he looked between Hal and Barry. The lantern’s net cutting off his escape.

‘No chance he could get through here’, Hal proudly thought.

On the other side stood Flash. This time ready and expecting any bullets.

Hal watched as Hood sighed heavily and put away the crowbar.

“Just my luck that both glow stick and big red are in town.” He grumbled a few more curses under his breath and Hal was pretty sure they weren’t in English or limited to one language.

Hal’s net dissipated as he lost concentration, Barry also seemed highly confused about the rogue’s actions. They both snapped out of it when Hood spoke again,

“Well are ya gonna arrest me or what ? If not then I’ll gladly leave.” He gave both of them very pointed looks despite the helmet. “Well ?”

Barry moved forward quickly gaining speed and tied Hood up. Hal then walked over and picked the mountain of man up. Lucky for him Hood didn’t try and get loose and so they were off towards the closest Zeta-Tube.

‧⋆ ✧˚₊‧⋆. ✧˚₊‧⋆‧⋆˖⁺‧

“How’s your shoulder ?”, Hal asked Barry, worry clear in his voice.

“It’s-“, Barry started but cut himself off as he regarded his shoulder, now that the adrenaline had worn off he realized that there was a lack of blood and no hole, Hood had probably shot him with a rubber bullet then.

“It’s fine, huh.”, He prodded the spot and winced, “definitely bruised though.”

“Ya done princess ?”, both heroes snapped their eyes onto Red Hood. The man sat in the interrogation room as if he owned the place. His hands in meta-cuffs behind his back, his legs tied to the chair’s.

“Shut it rogue. We’re in charge of your destiny until Batman comes and gets you.”, Hal put on his best threatening voice and face, it was no Batglare™ but it was usually enough.

Emphasis on usually, Hood simply laughed in his face.

“In charge of my destiny? Is this a school play or s’mthin’ ? I’m shivering in my boots.”, he deadpanned.

Hal sputtered and Barry jumped in trying to gain control over the conversation back, if they ever had it.

“This is no time to laugh Red Hood, we caught you red handed in my city. I want to know what you were doing ? Expanding your business ?” Hood inclined his head,

“You- you went in without knowing the situation ?” His voice was cold and devoid of the sarcastic tone from before. “Are you actually that stupid or what ?”

Barry opened his mouth to start defending his actions but he thought better of it and shut it again. “I don’t need to justify my actions to you rogue.”, he said instead. He crossed his arms to emphasize his words.

“Oooh, big boy is real brave.”, Hood snarled the amusement was heavy in his voice.

Hal shook his head, they had definitely lost control over the conversation now. He sighed and led the irritated speedster out of the room.

“He’s not gonna spill anything this way.” Hal stated, “Only way is if Spooky takes over or if we use the Lasso.”

Barry seemed to mull this over. “Let’s try the lasso, Diana should be in the training room today, right ?”

“Should be, let’s go and see.”

Luckily Wonder Woman was indeed in the training room and she also easily agreed to help them with the interrogation. She’d gladly do her friend, the Bat, a favor.

  And so they found themselves back in the presence of Red Hood. But instead of the intimidating air he had before he now seemed excited ?

“Wonder Woman.”, he greeted the Amazonian, despite the voice modulator, the heroes could hear him smile.

“Red Hood.”, she greeted in return, her voice devoid of any emotions.

She was much better at the whole interrogation thing. She pulled out her lasso and tied it to Hood’s arm.

“Now tell me, who are you ?”

“Red Hood.”, confidence clear in his posture. Diana grit her teeth for a moment before she asked the next question.

“Fine, what were you doing in Central City ?”

“My Job.”, He simply answered.

“What was you goal then ?” Hal chimed in.

“To help my brother.”, Hood hissed. He followed his slip up with some very colorful language.

“Your brother ? What’s his name ?”, Barry joined in now that they were getting somewhere.

“Which one ?”, Hood asked his voice a low growl. He certainly didn’t like the information spilling out of him. “Don’t you dare go anywhere near them or I’ll have you experience a hell worse than anything you could ever imagine. You’ll beg for death.”

A shiver went down Barry’s and Hal’s spines. Those weren’t empty words.

“A threat.”, Wonder Woman hummed.

“A promise.”, Hood spat.

Diana huffed and removed the golden lasso.

“This is getting nowhere.” She shook her head. Hal and Barry agreed and the three heroes left the interrogation room to regroup.

They moved to the surveillance room as to keep an eye on the rogue.

The rogue who was gone.

The meta-cuffs laid unlocked on the floor, the door to the room wide open.

They moved quickly to catch the escapee.

They sprinted down the hallway, Barry rushing ahead to find the man.

“Where are you running to ?”, a young voice asked next to Diana.

Wonder Woman almost tripped from surprise, Hal did trip but he caught himself before he met the floor.

Red Robin had joined them, easily keeping step with the lantern and goddess.

Not making a single noise despite being in his civilian clothes, plus domino mask. A too large, well worn Superboy shirt on, paired with a black leggings-shorts combo and some scuffed sneakers.

“A rogue we were interrogating somehow got out of his cuffs and the interrogation room.”, Hal filled in the teen vigilante.

“That’s not supposed to happen.”, Their unofficial head of tower security stated dryly, his face serious.

“How-“, he started to ask when they came to a skidding stop.

Before them was Red Hood, in all his dangerous glory, sat atop a subdued Flash.

Wonder Woman unsheathed her sword and readied a swing when a laugh- no a wild cackle, tore through the tension in the Hallway. She stopped her attack to look at the source, Red Robin.

He was bending over and heaving with laughter. He seemed to try and say something but was unable to stop laughing long enough.

Hood seemed to puff up with playful pride and reveled in the laughter. Then the bird themed vigilante took some pictures with his phone and Hood posed for them.

The confused heroes standing to the side, Barry still under the heavy rogue.

“This is glorious,” Red Robin finally calmed down, a wide mischievous grin on his face, “I’ll send them to Wally and Arsenal, they’ve got to see this !”

“Might as well just send ‘em to the group chat replacement.”, Hood said with amusement leaking into his tone as he stood up.

Barry quickly got to his feet as well and joined his friends who were watching the pair in confusion. As RR and RH delved into casual conversation the three Leaguers just stood there, unsure what to do as the Gotham vigilante seemed close to the Gotham rogue.

Then relief finally arrived in the form of the close by Zeta announcing, “A-02 Batman”.

The man soon walked around the corner and halted abruptly, clearly taking in the scene in front of him.

He decided to turn around and simply leave but he was stopped by Hood grabbing his arm. Hal sharply sucked in some air.

“B,” Red Robin send his father a very pointed glare, “You know what to do.“ The teen’s tone left no room for arguments.

“Hnn.”

“Yeah, no that’s not gonna happen. My mission got fucked over ‘cause they didn’t know, old man.”, Hood gave him a glare of his own through the helmet.

Then the leather clad man reached up and smoothly pulled off said helmet, revealing short black hair with a bone white streak at the front. A red domino over his eyes, in a very familiar bat-shape.

Now that Hal looked at the way too young looking, ‘holy shit he’s still a child’, crime lord, he realized what the red shape on the man’s body armor was. A red Bat.

“Fuck, no.”, Hal muttered out, Hood who had definitely heard him gave him a mischievous grin that was mirrored by Red Robin.

“Please don’t tell me-“, Barry started, but the Bat cut him off.

“My son, Red Hood.” He confirmed and Hal wanted to scream.

“But he’s a crime lord ! He’s on our most wanted list Spooky !”, Hal barked out.

“He was actually removed from that like three months ago by B.”, Red Robin chimed in.

“This is too much for me.” Hal concluded and turned to leave.

“The fuck you think you’re going ? I’ve got some shit to say.”, Hood drawled, his tone similar to Batman when he was about to scold them to hell and back.

And scold them he did.

“First of you brought me to the Watchtower of all places without at least stopping to think if that might’ve been my plan. Second, you left me with all my gear and only took my weapons, didn’t even do a simple pat down. Third, you let my words get to you and lost control over the interrogation and had to drag Wonder Woman into it, by the way you did great,” RR chuckled next to Hood,” but you didn’t correct the glaringly obvious mistakes of your teammates, you stopped the interrogation way too easily too. Fourth, you left me unattended and went all the way to the surveillance room instead of the room on the other side of the two way mirror in the interrogation room. Fifth, you-“

Batman and Red Robin hurriedly left the Hallway, leaving Hood behind to lecture the super heroes on their many mistakes.

Batman had a proud glint in his eyes, though it was well hidden behind the cowl. Red Robin almost felt bad for the three they had left behind.

He later checked the surveillance cameras after he had seen Hal and Barry look absolutely dead inside.

He admittedly spit out his coffee, his brother had lectured them for 5 whole hours (though he of course let Diana leave after just one hour).

‘Truly, like father, like son.’, Tim mused.

<- Prev. | Next -> CH1 | CH2 | CH3 | CH4 | CH5 | CH6

[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! (*^▽^*)

[ql-of-all-time-bracket]

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

[stepswowdsen]

【KHR AU】 XanLena Earrings HCs ❤️💜🔥🪷

XanLena Earrings HCs

Xanxus and Nguyễn Selena (Nguyễn Nguyệt Vân Liên)

Me: XanLena doodle WIPs 💜❤️

I wanted to put the XanLena rambles in its own post too. Here you go~

Neka (CN Avatar Maker) by BIKOSI

Earring ideas for Xanxus: Flame shaped gold and red jewel earrings, red tassel earrings, feather earrings

Earring ideas for Selena: Lotus/flower earrings, moon shaped earrings, purple tassel earrings

If you wanna see the JuAli and XanLena combined post.

Rambles with my friend Cinna

Link: (X)

Me: Gold and red earrings also suits Judar too, but I noticed there was a lot of overlap between my faves since they're all meow meow mfs.

Me: Like I also imagined Judar (Magi) to wear gold earrings with a red jewel in the middle. I also gave Xanxus gold and red earrings too. Though tbf they can all have different kinds and multiple types of earrings.

C: Honestly valid. Yeah there's sm earrings there's one for everyone. Like how my favs all have different types of chokers in my HCs lmao

Me: OOO yeah that's valid! I love chokers + belt fashion aesthetics. Basically, I’m a fan of goth + punk fashion aesthetics for my meow meow mf faves

C: Yeee. A lot of my favs have earrings too in my HCs and all of them differently

Me: I imagine that Xanxus while wearing Viet traditional clothes would have gold and red earrings. Gold earrings that are flamed shaped with a red jewel in the middle. I also imagined red tassel earrings with a gold clasp for him.

Xanxus was born with a rare flame called the Flame of Wrath. The special characteristic of this Flame is extreme destructive power that can reduce anything to ashes.

He’s one of the only KHR characters that can manifest a flame in his hands, without the need for rings/weapons, unlike the others.

C: Nodding. Ohh flame shaped is nice... Tassels are great too

Me: I imagined that for Xanxus, gold flame shaped earrings with thin gold ends would be cute...

C: Cute. Aa yes

Me: Yeah I think tassel earrings and feather earrings (metal shaped feather earrings) also suit Xanxus

C: Nodding. Oh yeah feathers work too

Me: Considering tassel earrings for Xanxus too. Earrings in Vietnam are called "Bông tai"

...

Me: Also I was thinking. Xanxus with earrings HC

C: Xanxus with earrings!! As he should 😌

I always give my faves earrings and/or piercings lmaoo

Me: YEAH I always give my faves earrings to wear, whether for everyday wear or for special occasions

Selena should wear earrings too

Me:

Also for Xanxus I was thinking of flame earrings shaped like the first one, like the gold makes the shape of a flame

Or perhaps like the gold one where it has a red gem fitted to it :)

C: Ooooh I see

I love the Butterfly ones for Selena

Me: YEAHHH. I want lotus ones for her since her Viet name Liên means lotus 🪷

Also the moon and flower ones suit her

Nguyễn = Family name/surname (most common Vietnamese surname)

Nguyệt = Moon 🌙

Vân = Cloud ☁️

Liên = Lotus 🪷

C: Ngl these silver feather ones could fit Xanxus even for less formal use

OH THESE ARE ALL GREAT OMG Any sort of these would fit him:

A flame

Feathers

Tassels

Me: These would be nice to have as Xanxus' earrings!!!

C: YEAHH

The second to last would fit too imo

Some pretty tassels ones, half of these are more Selena

Me: I was thinking of searching more Viet outfits for refs later as inspiration for what kind of earrings and accessories they can wear

Oh yeah and some we can use for casual use since I may want to give them casual wear earrings

C: I see! Gl with that

C: Yo those tassel earrings definitely slap

Me:

YEAH I THOUGHT SO TOO

Gold tassels maybe with a carved flame pattern hmm

Yeah I'll use them as inspiration for black white gold when I draft and design stuff

C: Selena in these...

Me: OOO YEAH. I have some ideas of what I want for Selena

Me: For Xanxus... Gold earrings or gold tassels maybe with a carved flame pattern hmm

Gold and red

C: Oh hell yeah

Me: Yeah I'll use them as inspiration when I draft and design stuff

C: I see!!!

Me: Yeah I was looking around for inspiration and was like. Hmm. I can search for accessories. I'll draft some ideas when I'm not busy

C: Yeahh makes sense

Me: OOO YEAH I have some ideas of what I want for Selena

Me: I may want to give Selena a gold crown with gold flower decorations and lotuses hmm? Or maybe just regular flowers on her hair

C: AHH MAYBE

[mai-han]

Intro Post!

I'd like to reintroduce myself!

My name is Maihan. I'm a Vietnamese voice actor from Los Angeles who moonlights as an independent Vtuber [now in 3D!] named Hanchu.

You can find me all over the place here:

⟡ Voice Actor | Voice Acting Website ⟡ Vtuber | Twitch ⟡ All-You-Can-Eater | Food Instagram ⟡ Cat parent | My Cat's Instagram ⟡ More of my links here! | My Beacons Page

About voice acting:

You can hear me in games like Arknights, Solo Leveling: ARISE, Fae Farm, Diablo IV, Genshin Impact, Honor of Kings, Fae Farm, and more! I also do Live-Action dubbing and Anime! Some of my credits are listed on my IMDB page, but unfortunately it doesn't list everything!

About Vtubing & Streaming:

I'm a vermilion bird (called Chu Tước in Vietnamese) Vtuber, now in 3D! I play a variety of games including lots of action and adventure games, RPGs, JRPGs, and all the Final Fantasies (especially FFXIV).

Some of my favorite games include God of War 4, Dragon Age, Yakuza, Kingdom Hearts, Risk of Rain 2, SSX, Hotel Dusk, Baten Kaitos, and a somewhat obscure Final Fantasy called Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers for the Wii (Not to be confused with Crystal Chronicles).

Vtubing/Stream credits can be found here!

Other Interests:

Drawing/Painting

Promare, Link Click, All Saint's Street

Danmei (especially TGCF)

BL/GL Manwha/Manga/Manhua

Sanrio things (especially My Melody)

Vkei & EDM (especially Madeon)

All kinds of foods from everywhere

That's me in a big nutshell. Thanks for reading and I hope we can be friends!

Here's a picture of my WoL as a peace offering:

[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💜

[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.

[absolutebl]

Hey! Your bl recs are great! Do you have any in which the couple is already together from the beginning? Sort of like Don't Say No in which they start dating in the first ep already. (It can be gls and qls of any sort you find good)

Sure thing, you want a BL without a meat cute? Or meat cute only as a flash back? There are more sides that do this than mains (like in Wandee Goodday right now) but I will give it a shot:

BLs Where the Main Couple is ALREADY in a ROMANTIC Relationship

(you didn't specify these had to be good shows)

My Personal Weatherman

Just Friends?

HIStory Obsessed

Dark Blue Kiss (technically these 2 started as sides exactly like LeoFiat)

Cutie Pie

Naughty Babe

Papa and Daddy

Don't Say No

Ai no Kotodama (2008)

What Did You Eat Yesterday?

My Monster in Law (non ending)

Peach of Time (sad)

Confidential Coffee Break

Close Friend 2

Two Weddings and a Funeral

Bad Romance

Tien Bromance EXTRA (some of them)

Jack O'Frost

Love Place: Shiawase no Katachi (AKA Shape of Happiness 2)

Second Seasons that I argue by your metrics might qualify

Look Don't Say No is kinda a second season, after all we did see their relationship start as a side couple so...

We Best Love: Fighting Mr. 2nd

SOTUS S

Still 2gether

Any of the Our Skyy

My Beautiful Man 2

To My Star 2: Our Untold Stories

Make it Right 2

Summerdaze Christmas Together

Takumi-kun 2: Rainbow Colored Glass

Irresistible Love 2 AKA Uncontrolled Love

Gen Y 2

Magic of Zero: Zero Supporter

Papa and Daddy 2

Minato's Laundromat Season 2

Like Live 2

Ossan's Love redux-multitudes

I think there are a few Vietnamese ones that should be here too.

I'm not really wild about second seasons myself.

I dithered a lot:

My Only 12% - look one half basically assumed they were dating all along

Absolute Zero - it's very timey wimey

Two Worlds - same but different

SCI Mystery - they married, everyone except China knows this

I left out anything that edged into reunion romance like Tokyo in April is or too much more Friends to Lovers like Living With Him.

I stopped at things I'd rated lower that a 5 partly because I can't remember those ones intentionally and this isn't a trope I track so my memory is involved with this process.