#we watched my current 2000s tv show obsession | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

electrificata · 7 months

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here are my house observations, im in season 3

some of the shit house says to foreman is genuinely unforgivable

foreman as a character i generally like. omar epps is giving a good performance of an even-keeled-but-not-without-effort kind of guy, i do like the plotline of a guy who came to learn from an expert whos the worst guy in the world and trying to figure out how to do the same thing without being the worst guy in the world. i also think they way they keep him out of hospital love triangles is racist, foreman is not currently hot but could be with 15% more attention from the writers room.

really sexist as a general rule. i have not encountered the idea of "jailbait" this much in literal years.

hipster racism. its the 2000s. funny to talk abt this because "hipsters" were younger at this point and the character of house is, im assuming, in his mid 40s at the start of the show, but thats the general logic that seems to be on display. "well you know that he's a good guy so its ironic and funny that he's threatening to use the n word as a joke."

a) stupid logic to begin with, doing something ironically is also just doing it, b) doesnt even work on its own terms here because house is widely acknowledged to be an awful person in the context. the entire show is built around the question "how much deliberately annoying, dangerous bullshit will we endure from this dickhead to maintain access to his unique skillset"

i still dont "get" house/wilson. like i do see it, like i can see that theyre a little obsessed with each other and they have a fun mutually manipulative dynamic, and they make sense as foils (guy who's self-consciously awful and often ends up doing noble things accidentally/guy who's self-consciously noble and often deliberately does awful things). but i cannot feel myself going insane about it. if anything i like him better with cuddy

cuddy really really hot. really really really hot. cuddy.

so like yeah i see house/wilson im just not going insane about it the way i thought i might. altho tbh it took a global pandemic and a extended, byzantine renaissance of tumblrina supernatural scholarship to make me have a destiel spiral. i need infrastructure for these things.

cameron's character is such an old school token girl character. i hate how they treat her "niceness" almost as much as i hate how they treat her crush on house.

a better show (written by me) would have some more cuddy and foreman "managing" house plotlines (foreman being a protege allows focus on the legacy of house's medicine, how to replicate it, how to contain damage), probably give him some of the cuddy and wilson time. the three of them together would be good i could do that.

cuddy/foreman. hm. in the remake.

like, i do get how this happened. house is troubled in a durable, interesting way. the writing is good enough to support his layers, the way his snap-judgement psychoanalysis of everyone he meets curls back around to shine a light on his own issues. good balance of competence and patheticness. laurie is giving a masterclass in the niche field of "british comedian comes to us tv drama, grows some stubble, becomes a sex symbol." i read an old review that referred to his "sourpuss charisma" i really like that turn of phrase.

(i was also into josh on the west wing when i watched that last year, i have a type i love antagonism. no im not dating anyone right now, who wants to take me for a candlelit dinner and tell me i smell good and my voice is sexy) (you cant just compliment me, ill be bored or uncomfortable, you have to bury it in a disagreement and make it clear youre kind of mad that youre into me)

that said i think the show kind of misunderstands house's sex appeal. it feels very written-by-men. women characters throw themselves at house in a porny kind of take-me-now way. in my observations guys who are arent traditionally hot but attractive in this antagonistic, talky was dont really get that kind of treatment, but they do get the main cast wilson/cuddy/cameron "i hate this guy but im obsessed with him and i will never make a move or i will and itll go badly" kind of stuff. my phantom house reboot does have cameron and house hook up and its a really mean and destructive fwb thing with like 4 false endings. does this make sense.

right now im in the middle of the plotline where leighton meester plays a 17 yr old girl stalking house because shes so in love. like thats not the vibe. at least from what ive seen. im not omniscient.

lol it turns out she has a spore makign her hypersexual lolllll i literally have this on in the background rn ok i take some of this back.

whenever i mention to someone im watching house theyll recount to me the plot of the one episode they can remember and it always sounds insane and its never made up.

"the one with the intersex teen model who fucks her dad to manipulate him and has testicular cancer" like yeah. yeah thats real. if you talked to me 3 weeks ago thatd be the one i recounted to you.

yes house does leer at her in that episode and its treated as logical and normal for a 45 year old man.

i hate chase, he's awful but boring.

im curious how long im gonna keep watching this, i know the later seasons get kind of soapy plotwise and i dont know if thats what i want out of this

#god this got long.

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socialistwh0r3vampir · 10 months

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i was tagged by @curlytemple who im still so flatted I'm mutuals with

Im so sorry yall this got way to long

1. 3 ships:

im all about the polycules baby

Riverdale (taking about 4 ficd cause most of the mutuals im tagging are riverdale girlies)

@hahahahawhat @greatkateweathermachine

@wolfofansbach @thejugheadparadox these r just my current favs buy like all these writers are crazy talented and I have a few of Kate's story's saved for when I have a bad day.

All of peters love interests are in a tragicy messy polycule (I limited it to one comic ship cause this isn't my main)

@bipeterparker is insane for this but it'd absolutely perfect

@thisisallthehattersfault s is probably the least explore axis of the core 4 but it's got me to obsessed over there dynamic

2. first ever ship:

ive always been into fairytales/mythology and watching labyrinth in preschool shaped me on a fundermental level. Sarah x Jareth which is delightfully dark

Anything but @viciously-witty is spectacular but

Has been the object of my obsession for 4 years now so I can't recommend it enough

If ypu don't mind reading potentially abandoned fic and maybe had a Hannibal phase I'm begging you to read @sherylholmes 's criminally underrated fic

And if u can't do unfished fics then check out @eddywoww 's new story who exclusively writes steddie and got me to stop hating Eddie Munson for people not into bdsm or Xmen wearing hellfire shirts in puplic

Tho my new ao3 account history lists https://archiveofourown.org/series/928122

Which I beated for like a week before I was homeless lol.

I used to be hella into lilith and this was a fic about her set in thr universe of the Lucifer TV show with pge triangle with her chole and Lucifer.

And cause of the rpf discourse being a thing again I have to mention my first band ship murdoc x 2d from gorillaz and the mandatory fic rec is @selkiefluff s fabulous story

Not only is it top tier smut but it has a time travelling trans character and its not even OOC which is insanse and its finished!!!

3. last song:

I've been dancing to metal and 2000s pop with my dad but now I've got my amv playlist playing @philcollinsenjoyer 's riverdale amv of Genghis Khan

youtube

It's also on their tumblr if u search amv on thier pages I can't recommend thier videos enough

4. last movie: watched bound again whcih is a masterpiece all lesbians would experience but the last new film was Chopping Mall which I found via @greatkateweathermachine 's letter box which is wonderful especially their riverdale list

5. currently reading:

what we are fighting for a radical collective manifesto edited by Frederick campagna and Emanuel campiglio

I saw David Graeber (my beloved) was included and had to borrow it. (If Ur interested into money or anthropology I can't recommend his book debt the first 500 years enough my dyke primary school tea her gave it to me to read when I way ahead in maths and i used it years later to radicalise half my econ class

6. currently watching:

rewatching mtvs faking the messiest dyke drama ever. It's definitely camp and it's kinda self aware bur it's also horrible no good. It's what the Twitter gays wished dear Evan hasten was like watch the first episode (it's only 20min) and if knowing what they are faking it's not hilarious and heart breaking stop your gonna hate the show if not you've got your new favourite trash show.

New show is season 3 of chucky which only has half a season airing cause of the strikes so I'm trying to stretch it out but I will say jennifer tilly is a delight as always.

7. currently consuming:

norco chocolate milk its 2am my last meal was went I went down to the river to read and got a blue cheese woodfire pizza

8. currently craving:

my hot tub but I'm still waiting on my pool filters its been 30c (86f) the last 4 days I've been home and I got heatstroke on Sunday on the 10min walk to the river and fainted + threw up which wasn't sexy rip

Tagging beloved mutuals

I know like 3 of you follow me on my main not this side blog but like I reblog all Ur posts here anyway so we r mutuals even if tumblr doesn't classify us that way. In my heart of hearts I know its true

Feel free to ignore or let me know if u don't want want be tagged in the future

@mothmanchronicler @gay-archie @hispanicsabrinaspellman @betty-amorous @archangelarchie @thedumbdemon @2jug2head @rozmiatacz @eastvillages

Non riverdale babes

@dragonflylady77 @cuddle---buddy @mercurysystem @every-dayiwakeup @orangerosebush @kamiyuart

#sorry this took so long to get to i love getting tagged in things #i have so many pic crews on my srt sideblog but ive been so tired and i didnt want to answer another one of these with atrocious spelling

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shigayokagayama · 6 months

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maybe a weird question, but do you have any recommendations for non-mob psycho media? I’ve been in search of something that hits similarly/is as well made and I trust your judgement o wise one. I’m not super picky, so recs of any kind would be appreciated :)

im like the worst person to take media recommendations from because you have to tie me down to watch something new and then i get obsessed with it forever, in terms of things ive seen recently that hit the same tumblr is NOT lying dungeon meshi is really good and if you start watching now you're gonna be watching at the part where it starts getting crazy

other stuff ive been into (gets progressively less mob psycho and generally more depressing like the further down we go bc i tend to get into really, really sad shit):

-i <3 deltarune but everyone has already played that. deltarune good. if you havent played deltarune play deltarune. genuinely like it more than undertale. also if the last chapter of deltarune is just the confession arc i called it and deserve a million dollars

-same w spiderverse. listen usually i dont care about superhero stuff but god these movies are good and i really hope they stick the landing.

-everything everywhere all at once continues to be one of my favorite movies ever

-rainworld (video game, very difficult but skurry's playthroughs do a good job summarizing the plot and general vibe of each route if you wanna watch those. i watched my friend play survivor ages ago and ive been playing through survivor with a friend on multiplayer and decided to watch some playthroughs to get a feel for the map and GOD DAMN the story of this game. rivulet route almost made me cry.) fair warning this is animal death the video game.

-severance (live action tv show, general plot is some sort of dystopian future where they invent a surgery where you can seperate your work self from your normal self so you clock into work and then black out until your shift is over. except your work self is just stuck at work forever. only 9 episodes but very, VERY good)

-i actually really enjoyed the scott pilgrim comics and the anime i wish anyone ever could be normal about them. id definitely suggest comics (if you can handle the 2000s humor) then anime. also basically everyone knows this but fair warning that starting out the main character is in his early 20s dating a 17 year old, it is explicitly treated as a shitty thing by the narrative and theres nothing explicit and its made very clear that he has 0 feelings for her whatsoever and is just using her as an ego boost but if youre sensitive to that stuff i might skip this one

-lots of webcomics about animals. i read so many webcomics about animals its like. my main media intake. this is part of the reason that i dont understand complaints about the art style my favorite webcomic looks like this

its called doe of deadwood and ill think about it until the day i die. others im currently reading (since this one wrapped a while ago) are "what lurks beneath" (cat cult on an island) "waves always crash" (cat cult on the beach) "i didnt know" (cat cult in a barn), toufati sawa (hyena trying to avenge her clan) and africa (leopard trying to survive the harshening world with her cubs) warning for animal death with all of these and general abuse warning for all those cat cult ones bc. cults.

-i like warrior cats. do not read warrior cats. its not very good and youll get stuck here forever.

-pathologic but the actual game and not just people describing the game please watch someone play the actual game summaries skip so much of the meat of the story and the characters. or play the game if you can bear learning to strategically quicksave. fair warning there is a lot of racism depicted against indigenous people in these games and while the framing of it generally aires on the side of "racism bad" there are a lot of kinda shitty tropes that come with it.

-listen bojack horseman is one of my shows it is the polar opposite of mob psycho in like every way and i would never in a million years recommend it if you want something that hits like mob psycho but if we're asking for just things i enjoy this is one of them. heavy cw for drug usage and abuse with this one. might want to give "does the dog die" a look for this one bc people are not joking about how heavy this show is

-same with hospice. hospice is a concept album about a hospice worker and a patient and has had more of an influence on me than any other piece of media ever bc i found it at the exact perfect time in my life for it to be relevant to my circumstances and now its like part of my identity. heavy cw for abuse also

-speaking of concept albums hey have you listened to tyler the creator he has several. WOLF especially i really like because the plot is actually like. kinda intricate. he also says the f slur a lot in WOLF but hes bisexual so diversity win?

-succession good. tw for like. everything though. probably "does the dog die" this one.

-hey have you ever watched david lynch's 1972 film "eraserhead"

#me and my friends tor and mich read the entire manga in 2 call sessions #i put everything else under a readmore #i feel like the more you know about my interests you can look at anything i write and go #hey. hey i see you.

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andmaybegayer · 1 year

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Project "Let's watch every single Fast & Furious movie"

Alright I looked at the Wikipedia page and apparently in addition to all this they have six seasons of an animated series about *checks notes* a group of evil racers bent on world domination. Cool. I will decide whether I'm watching that or not later let's just do the movies for now.

The Fast And The Furious (2001)

Oh there's so much on display here. FF was not the first bit of street racing media but it was what brought it into the mainstream for sure, and the echoes of this movie are still being felt. This influence is made all the better by the fact that the movie has no goddamn clue any of this is about to happen.

You may look at the big beefy muscleboys and sexy fawning girls and go "this is going to have a lot of gender in it isn't it" and while you wouldn't be wrong you'd be missing that gender mostly takes a backseat to race. There's a lot of race in this thing. You've got the three racially distinct gangs with their racially distinct hangers on driving their somehow racially distinct cars. Or in the case of the nebulously Asian group, racially distinct motorcycles, because. Japan.

The setting is so 2000's, unbearably normal suburbs of Hollywood. Dominic Torretto lives in the most ordinary suburban house I've seen in a movie in years, because of course it's 2001 and everyone does not yet live in ethereal perfectly decorated minimalist houses. This really helps sell the multiple times the Gang are all hanging out in this space watching a shitty move on a tiny TV or having a fun little barbecue in the backyard.

I'm not sure they had realized they had made this little found family so endearing yet because about 20 minutes after this scene, Torretto takes the protagonist for a walk and tells him all about how the only thing he cares about is drag racing and screw his gang, which I expected to be a setup for a more explicit realization/rejection later but no he reiterates this in full at the end of the movie with no apparent realization. This despite

The fun barbecue and movie times

Toretto immediately going after his missing friend when he is at extreme risk of going to prison

I think they probably only figured the whole family angle out fully later but you can see the framework is already here.

Actually an aside for the funniest bit of Torretto characterization in the movie: shortly after winning a race, almost getting busted, getting saved from the police by the new kid, accidentally violating a gang agreement, getting threatened by the Asian gang (in front of a chinese restaurant), almost getting killed in an explosion, and catching a taxi home, he gets in to his house where a moderately rowdy house party is going on. His girlfriend comes up and is like "hey do you want to go upstairs and have some epic sex with your win wife" to which his response is:

"But what about all our guests?"

Perfect moment no notes. A man who is wondering whether they're going to run out of nachos.

I had to remind myself very often that this show was from 2001, so when they pull out a 1995 Supra my first thought was "oh, of course, the 2JZ is a legend" not, "oh, the current Supra." This happens with a few cars, the Honda S2000 is a 1999 car, it's basically brand new in this movie, not the classic that we now know is a huge pain in the ass because it only makes any power at redline.

You know people made fun of FF for being obsessed with shifting and I don't see it. They do make a note of it but I mean come on, it's a drag racing movie, shifting is 9/10ths of the game. It's not overdone.

The cinematography is so much. Most of the time it's reasonably normal, some fun crane work when they're out in the desert, but the amount of compositing and post-processed camera shake and bizarre undercranked cuts during races is unbelievable. The undercranking especially is so weird, it's an unusual approach to conveying speed, standard cinematography would say you want to have motion blur but these were shot either extremely slowly or with extremely small shutter angle so it looks almost stop motion. It's almost the opposite.

You may notice I am not really talking about the plot, and I'm not really talking about the romantic subplot either. These both exist. The romantic subplot of Mia and Brian is fine, it's cute, but it's so foregone as to be ignorable. It is eye candy if nothing else, Paul Walker went full force prettyboy for this movie, it's unreal. The plot is there to move you from scene to scene but this is absolutely more of a movie about each individual scene rather than what happens when you put those scenes in sequence.

The emotional through line of all these independent scenes is reasonably strong. As mentioned, you get to see Toretto and his buds hanging out and bonding, they're all so endearing, the scrappy ECU tuner tells our protagonist about how he dropped out of school despite being good at maths because he has ADD. The choice to not show Brian ever being a cop, and instead dropping you right in the middle means you have no attachment to whatever past life he may have had, I don't think you learn a single thing about his actual background beyond "cop who wants to make detective" and "quit smoking."

I am very interested to see how the rest of the series handles the character of Toretto because he has a lot of room to be a very strange kind of center of gravity around which other people collect, but he could also just become a modern Big Beefy Action Hero and that would suck. I do think he just fucks off for the next two or three movies though, so.

Brief return to "this setting is normal as fuck," the climactic final drag race occurs on the back street outside a high school. Zero flair.

The Fast and Furious movies have long reaching consequences in other media. It's no surprise that Need for Speed Underground came out two years after this. I'm interested to see some parallels in wider media as I go here, obviously Tokyo Drift was what brought Initial-D style drift obsession to people who didn't watch Anime, and street racing went from being a niche thing that only people invested in the scene cared about to being a thing twelve year olds cared about.

#fast and furious #the fast and the furious #furious book report

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saulwexler · 1 year

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Thank you @naughtydogg for tagging me I love these 🥰

Last song: just watched yellow submarine so hey bulldog which is truly underrated

Currently watching: doing this ridiculous challenge with mr saulwexler where we watch the bbc’s top 100 shows from the 2000′s in order and we are only on 2004 so...

Plus sex and the city and white collar on my own fadssa

Currently reading: I’m pretty deep in one of those hardboiled novel series from the 60′s about a PI that fucks. sorry women:/

Current obsession: see above television list. also a novel-length bcs fic that will never see the light of day 🫣 also frothing at the mouth thinking about speak now tv

tagging: @primordialscream @queenofnots @septembersghost @saul-okayman @mariacallous

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hashtag-girlblogger · 7 months

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how to live like it's 2014 again

If you're anything like me, you're nostalgic for everything. I am constantly wishing to be somewhere else or in some time else. I'm nostalgic for the 60's (I was born in 2001), nostalgic for the early 2000's (pop is just not the same), and most of all–I am nostalgic for 2012 to 2016. I think it is widely agreed that these years, especially on Tumblr, were the last best years many of us have ever had. I was a baby, still in middle school and just 15 years old in 2016. But wow, what a time to be alive. Music, movies, TV, pop culture, fashion, the internet–the world was a better place.

I have been toying with the idea of exiting mainstream society (as best I can) for sometime now. I've been thinking, "Is it possible to live in another era while stuck in the constantly evolving 2024?" Can I abandon social norms or things of "the time" and just live like it's 2014 again?

I've thought about what this would mean, what it would look like. Only listening to Halsey, Calvin Harris and Marina. Splurging at Victoria's Secret and wearing the iconic Tease perfume at all times. What's TikTok? You don't use Valencia on your Instagram posts? I'm obsessed with WeHeartIt. Look at my new Penny board!

Alternatively, I could take the Arctic Monkeys, soft grunge, American Apparel and Marlboro cigarettes route. All black, watching AHS Coven and wondering if I have secret witchy powers too.

I think where all these feelings come from is that the current state of the world is just not feeling so good (to put it nicely). The world is accelerating at a speed I do not want to keep up with. Social media and technology are great but it has literally become this crushing weight. "Just delete social media then." Yeah fair. I guess I just feel so disconnected from my life. From my real life. Like I spend so much of my time venturing into other worlds I've made up in my head. Like 2014 Tumblr. It's not here anymore, it's gone, but I live there. A part of me is still there.

I'm like 12 or 13 years old. Was still a competitive cheerleader, which I regrettably quit when I got to high school. I spent everyday after school with my friends, making video stars or doing gymnastics in the field. We would walk around our neighbourhood, talking about god knows what and enjoying every minute of it. I looked at the future and it could be anything. I could be anyone and do anything I wanted. I feel like that's what I really want. Maybe I miss the music and clothes and vibes of that era buy what I'm really craving is how purely simple and free I felt, how connected I felt to my own life.

Now I'm 22, soon to be 23. Graduating college soon, heading into my big girl job, big girl career. Totally terrified and also excited. But I spend my time alone, so much time alone. My social battery is always empty, I rarely catch up with friends. When I do, we always have to be doing something. Dinner, drinks, movies, parties, dancing, classes. It's never, just come over let's hangout. And I get it, we're young adults, we are supposed to be doing stuff, we are meant to be out and about living our best lives. I guess I just want it to feel different. I want it to feel like it used to.

Okay sooooo.

This is how to live like it's 2014.

Talk to your friends, often and without any agenda. Create the ultimate playlist, this one's pretty good:

Binge CW shows and trashy reality TV. Totally freak out when someone says you look like Violet from AHS (this actually happened to me at work the other day and I couldn't stop smiling). Say screw the trends and wear some skinny jeans and those Alexander McQueen ankle boots, Alexa Chung approved. Get off your phone and be alive now. It's 2014, you don't have a worry in the world.

#2014 #2014 tumblr #Spotify #thatblog

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arcaneglitch · 8 months

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9 people to get to know better (tagged by @savyir-genesizz-the-wizard)

Last song: Wasteland by Michael Sechrist, Skye Lewin, & Michael Salvatori from the Destiny 2 Beyond Light soundtrack

I was listening to the BL album on shuffle while writing

Favorite color: teal

Last TV show/movie: iZombie (it's actually so good, all the characters are amazing)

Currently watching/listening: the PJO show (I watch it with my friend and we critique it together)

Sweet, spicy, or savory: probably savory

Relationship status: maidenless (I'm aroace)

Current obsession: Destiny is always one of them even if I haven't played in a while. But also FNAF currently

Last thing I've googled: the cost of coffee in the year 2000 (just to be clear I use duckduckgo for searching)

tagging @baronetcoins @collapsingintojupiter @mythicaldemonart @houseofmcallister @kare--kare @roxygobyebye @a-rebellious-waffle and anyone else who wants to participate

#tag game

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burins · 10 months

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@timetoboldlygo tagged me in a people I wanna know better tag meme, which was a delightful notification to receive from someone who came to my wedding. also she did tag me a full month ago and i forgot about it until i went into my drafts even though we fully talked about it IN PERSON.

Last song? the last music i listened to was yo-yo ma's version of ennio morricone's main theme from once upon a time in america. his whole ennio morricone album has been on repeat when i've been writing for like... a month or two.

the last non-instrumental track was uhhhh something han had on in the car! i think it was off yukika's new album.

the last THING i listened to was the audiobook of the old ways by robert macfarland, which i got to via raja shehadeh's marvelous palestinian walks (I am about 15 years late on palestinian walks but it is very good as both explanation of the slow creep of occupation via methods both legal - shehadeh's background - and by force; and as love letter to a countryside.)

i very much enjoyed macfarland's more recent book underland, which is all about caves. (cue everyone who read timkon road trip fic saying "we know.") i liked the old ways, which is all about walking, particularly in britain, but i think he gets caught up in his (admittedly very lovely) prose in a way that sometimes detracts from his arguments. he has a tendency not to question the tone/narrative of his sources, or to present them uncritically, which always sends my little ears twitching. (underland feels better-researched.)

i have now turned a music question into a book rec. ANYWAY!

Favourite colour? I always used to say purple but it's orange... honestly i like colors in combination much better than by themselves. a real sucker for green and orange or blue and a nice coral

Currently watching? taskmaster! i am SO bad at narrative TV. every week someone will tell me about a great show i would definitely enjoy and then i continue not to watch it. i did spend four hours yesterday (like everyone else on the internet) watching hbomberguy absolutely destroy about four people's careers though!

Last movie? not counting hbomberguy?? uh. i watched part of mad max fury road over some guy's shoulder on the plane back in october?

Sweet/Spicy/Savoury? savory/salty

Relationship status? married! :)

Current obsessions? batman/dc comics as it's been for the past uh year. and what a year it's been!

Last thing you googled? i'm trying to dig up old forum posts about the reception of birds of prey (particularly among queer fans/shippers) when it came out. this has involved a lot of googling, most of it not particularly successful, so if you know of what fan sites might have been active around 1999-2000.... let me know what to pop into the wayback machine.

tagging @curiositeath @butcherlarry @girderednerve and anyone else who wants to do this!!

#tag game

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terastalungrad · 11 months

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Feeling nostalgic, so I'm looking back at past Big Brothers. See how strongly I remember them.

2000: BB1

Caught the last two weeks of this, and was HOOKED. I learned of the existence of this show because a teacher built a school assembly around its popularity.

2001: BB2

Watched from launch, utterly obsessed. All the spin-offs, loads of live streams.

2002: BB3

Really into the metagame by this point. Love the nominations. Started studying psychology in school, now believe I'm brilliant at analysing people.

2003: BB4

Very cosy memories of this one. Watched it with my mother and brother, really rooted for lovely Cameron to win. My last summer before uni.

2004: BB5

Big Brother goes evil! My mother sends me VHS tapes so I can watch at uni. While watching the live stream one night, my brother steals my passport to run away to America. It's okay, we get him back.

2005: BB6

Doctor Who's back by this point, so Big Brother's no longer my favourite TV show. I find this one tougher to watch. I don't warm to many of the housemates.

2006: BB7

I auditioned for this one! So glad I didn't get in in retrospect. How different would my life have been? Can't imagine doing standup as a former Big Brother housemate.

Loved the series, though. Two Welsh speakers!

2007: BB8

Strong start to this series - I liked the idea of putting all the women in first, and slowly trickling in the men. But it's won by Brian Bello - very funny, I liked him, but his victory felt like a sign of reality TV becoming more constructed.

2008: BB9

Didn't watch this one. Furious when I found out the winner was Welsh. I turn my back for one minute!

2009: BB10

Enjoyed the series, but once again annoyed by the winner. Which seems strange now! I think today, I'd love the series to be won by a glamour model. Would I? I still gravitate towards the freaks and misfits, but I take a lot more pleasure in the victories of people who incur the snobbishness of the public.

2010: BB11

Skipped this one. It had been too long since I'd really loved a Big Brother, so I decided the magic was gone.

2011: BB12

First Channel 5 series. I'm freelancing by this point, so two weeks before it ends, I watch it all in one go. Loved it!

2012: BB13

All-time favourite series. The winner's a grumpy trans man from North Wales, how could I ask for more? Such an exciting series. And the first one I watched in full while on Tumblr.

2013: BB14

Didn't watch this one. Why not?? Maybe BB13 had been so perfect for me, I didn't have room in my heart for another series. I suppose I was also taking standup a lot more seriously by this point. Maybe I was too busy.

Furious when I found out the winner was Welsh. I turn my back for one minute!

2014: BB15

Very patchy memory of this series. I remember being extremely grumpy about the final. I was away visiting friends, so couldn't watch it live, and then had the winner spoiled for me in the most annoying possible way. Didn't love the winner either.

2015: BB16

Didn't watch this one. Too grumpy from last year. And I bet Jim Davidson had won Celebrity Big Brother by this point, an all-time low point.

I don't know a single thing about this series. Checking Wikipedia, turns out a Welshman came second. I turn my back -

Oh, except I did post a weird joke about this season. I don't think that was based on knowledge, though. I probably just saw people posting about BBUK and posted my own silly gag.

2016: BB17

Didn't watch. Don't know anything about it.

I wish I was a recation videos guy, because I just looked up this series and found out it launched the rise to fame of Andrew Tate!! Woah. First to be evicted, apparently.

In fact, omg - he's the first ever MAN to be the first evicted housemate.

2017: BB18

I weirdly DID watch this one, and I have no idea why. None of my friends were watching it. In fact, I'd forgotten I'd watched it until. I went to file my charts for the current season, BB20, and found that my folder included detailed data for BB18. I didn't just watch it, I kept my most detailed ever diagrams.

2018: BB19

Didn't watch this one. Who knows why?

A Welshman came second. I'm not even surprised at this point.

Pre-lockdown: BB1

Managed to get hold of this series and watched the whole thing. Really interesting to see it through modern eyes - how our values have changed!

2023: BB20

This one's on right now. I'm enjoying it a lot.

So let's recap my gaps - BB9, BB11, BB14, BB16 BB17, BB19. I'd enjoy watching some of these one day.

#bbuk

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heartsofminds · 2 years

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15 questions

thanks for the tag @gretagerwigsmuse. the inner leo in me will never not take the opportunity to talk about myself 😉 so here we go!

1. “are you named after anyone?”

my parents took one of the most popular girl’s name from the late 90s to the early 2000s and changed a letter to make it unique...worked out though because it was my great grandpa’s name who died long before i was even thought of.

2. “when was the last time you cried?”

watching the new avatar like three weeks ago. the ending had me FUCKED up. 😭

3. “do you have kids?”

no! but in the future (which is not near at all) i want two or three and we’re all gonna be besties.

4. “do you use sarcasm a lot?”

yes. being a facetious bitch is one of my defining traits if you know me irl.

5. “what’s the first thing you notice about people?”

maybe a weird answer but i kind of get a read on their vibe first? idk. i love people watching and analyzing things so i always secretly watch and observe before approaching.

6. “what’s your eye color?”

i have dark brown eyes!

7. “scary movies or happy endings?”

i literally cannot compartmentalize scary movies so my heart rate is elevated for a three-day minimum after watching one. happy endings certainly for the win.

8. “any special talents?”

okay okay okay. i have a special talent for reading people’s political compass by just looking at them and it’s always semi-accurate. also for finding characters from tv shows or cartoons that resemble people i know irl.

9. “what are your hobbies?”

okay, so i adore writing (stuff outside of fanfics, too. i use it as a coping skill so whenever i write about a situation that upset me, i know that i’m over it). i also love running. i’m trying to get my guy friends to teach me how to play pool.

10. “where were you born?”

the land of lincoln lol.

11. “do you have any pets?”

no! our family dog passed away like two years ago after having her for twelve years.

12. “what sports do you play/currently play?”

i did a little stint with cross country in middle school but quit before high school. i also played soccer and volleyball pretty competitively (club travel teams) throughout high school. now i run mostly but i’m thinking of joining rec volleyball and soccer leagues!

13. “how tall are you?”

curious to see if y’all think i give off tall girl energy or short girl energy before i tell you....but i’m 5′1, sadly.

14. “favorite subject in school?”

GOD i love history. was literally obsessed with american history after the gilded age in high school and it just kind of..comes easy to me? i’m poli sci now in college and absolutely ADORE my con law classes.

15. “dream job?”

i would LOVE to be a prosecutor who deals with special crimes! but ultimately, i want a job that allows me to think critically, express empathy, and help people along the way!

tagging: @hangmanapologist @roosterbruiser @inklore @callsignvalley @sunlightmurdock @currentlybradshaw and anyone else who wants to do it!

#L speaks #ask game #more fun facts y’all never asked for!! 🥴

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calismediadiary · 7 months

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get crazy, get loud - media blog post #2

Early this year, I started watching Jersey Shore, from the first episode, for the first time ever. I have been familiar as I had grown up on cable and whatever was shown as reruns on MTV. Which includes an unhealthy knowledge of episodes of Catfish, Teen Wolf, and Wild ‘n Out.

Yet now that I was watching Jersey Shore for the first time and being able to comprehend the scenarios and the drama, I was addicted. I was addicted in the sense that it was trashy, and I could watch it for hours but also because of how much reality tv had changed and how messy the show was.

Where the plotline is for eight random strangers to live in a house together and their only responsibility is to work, we don’t really see this troupe in shows anymore. The idea of making people work is absent from the media as of lately, which we explored in class. Whether it is due to an audience seeking escapism from their real life, or we have become so dystopian that the only pleasure of reality tv is found in immense wealth, fancy dresses, dates, or isolation on a tropical beach.

While this is unfair to compare to Jersey Shore as their premises are different, the closest I could find to a current reality show that is focused on livelihood and “friendship” was Netflix's The Circle, whose premise is contestants fooling each other through online presences for money. In almost all reality tv shows currently streaming, they are almost all dependent on money and fame.

Which was an easily avoidable factor during the filming of Jersey Shore because they weren’t worried about online presence and money was not tied to “winning” instead they got a free luxury beachfront home and worked (mostly only the first season) 8 hour shifts multiple times a week, a fair trade, until fame came to play.

Yet, this is exactly why I think I became obsessed so fast. When I had informed my family of my new addiction, they all said that they weren’t fans when it was coming out, they were too loud, too obnoxious, and (this is speculated) coked out. The nostalgia of late 2000’s early 2010’s was experienced at a full front; they were all entirely themselves which is shown in the first ten minutes when they all have confessionals where they call each other essentially ugly and will not sleep with them (they all end up sleeping with each other). When this first happened my jaw genuinely dropped because we are not used to their full honesty. This is because performing for the camera was not a factor yet, they weren’t thinking about getting famous.

Additionally, Jersey Shore introduced me to an entirely new culture of “Guidos.” With the Italian flag painted on the house it was a very fun aspect to include in the show because even though less than half were actually Italian their personalities clashed in such a specific Italian adjacent way.

Being a reality tv enthusiast, I learned a lot of understanding how reality tv changed as social media and streaming services have changed. Love Island for example, if you watch the first season vs more recent it looks like entirely different societies. The islanders would get blacked out drunk every night, leading every night into a screaming match or sometimes fight, not caring if they were in just a tank top and underwear, once again reinforcing how the camera has become this other character. Where the camera of reality tv shows was previously a silent character just observing, it has now become the judge and the jury. The islanders are now performing for the contestants and the audience at home. We even see contestants acknowledging this factor which almost seemed like something they weren’t allowed to do. Maria from The Bachelor claiming, “you know we’re being recorded right” because everyone is now aware that the camera is their lifeline to reality in their bubble of their chosen reality tv “rules.”

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wanderfan2000 · 2 years

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“They did it, they actually did it!” - Me, watching the final adventure with Ash and Pikachu. Do you know how hard it was to draw this without bursting into tears? It definitely was! T-T

When I was watching the final episode of Ash and Pikachu in the mini series, Pokemon: Aim To Be a Pokemon Master, I though I was going to cry, but the moment I saw the end tag, that’s when I immediately started to cry happy tears of joy! Ash and Pikachu have done it! =‘3 I even started hugging my Pikachu plush like there was no tomorrow.

I remembered first discovering Pokémon, thanks to GameBoy Video, (I’ll bet EVERY 2000s kid knows what I’m talking about.) But at that time, I wasn’t quite into Pokémon yet until I saw myself seeing my first glance at Pikachu and this new world, filled with these super powered animals, I knew a new obsession was going to begin…

Flash-forward to 2010, I watched my first Pokémon series, the one I watched was the final DP series they had playing on Cartoon Network at the time, Pokemon: DP: Sinnoh League Victors and I think you might say, from then on, I was hooked on this show!

I wanted to have a Pikachu plush, just like Ash had Pikachu for his partner. So one day, while I was watching the second OG series, the Orange Islands on the old Pokémon.com website, I remembered a package came in the mail. I noticed it was on my family’s doorstep, and this was WAAAAAAY back when we lived in a little red house on a little hill….in the middle of a parking lot. XD (NTM, I lived in TWO parking lots a lot for my 2000s childhood. But I didn’t mind.)

Anyway, I took the package into my mom’s room. (This was way before I got my first laptop. Because if I wanted to play on the computer, I’d used my mom’s.) I opened up the box, and there, laying down with a happy smile on his face was Pikachu! ^_^

I was so happy, I finally had my first Pokémon plush and since I had Pokémon Water War playing in the BG, I decided to trap my Pikachu plush inside of a Landry basket with a pillow on it, pretending the electric Pokémon was captured in an electric proof jelly jar. (Funny enough, it actually wouldn’t receive this name until the Johto Journeys episode, Fighting Flyer with Fire.) Yeah, to be honest, I had a talent for recreating things and Pokémon was going to be one of them…

As the years went by, I started collecting everything that had Pokémon on it, especially Pikachu, because I was OBSESSED with the electric powerhouse and I wanted everything merchandise that had him on it. I even started playing the main games, spins off game as well as LOVING the films and the Pikachu shorts! ^_^ Nowdays, I even try to get the old vintage Japanese merchandise and USA merchandise that was created by Hasbro, Jakkis Pacific and even the company who makes Pokémon toys today. ^_^

For the series, I followed along with it a lot, the current ones playing on TV as well as the old ones on Pokémon.com, since then I’ve fallen in love with the anime series and I have a HUGE soft spot in my heart for Pokémon: The Johto Journeys…that was the first OG series I remembered watching a lot on Boomerang from back in the day. I still remember hugging my Pikachu plush while watching it, we were Pokémon watching buddies. ^_^

But now as the series has finally concludes to a close, I wanted to thank the ENTIRE Pokémon staff and EVERYBODY who worked on this to give us this wonderful series that we have followed a young 10 year old boy and his Pikachu aiming to become a Pokémon master as they met new friends, evil enemies, heart-pounding perils and endless excitement!

As much as I would love to go on about my Pokémon story, I know something that’s even better to end it:

“This is just the beginning of the amazing adventures of Ash and Pikachu. Their journey is destined to be packed with non-stop action, millions of laughs, heart pounding perils and endless excitement. Together they will encounter fantastic friends, evil enemies and meet creatures beyond their wildest imagination and as their story unfolds, we'll unlock the magic and mystery of a most wondrous place: the incredible world of Pokemon!" -The Narrator, Pokemon S1E1: Pokemon: I Choose You! “Thank You Ash and Pikachu for everything!” 1998-2023.

- Adia, a Pokemon fan and lover since 2010.

“Pi, Pikachu!” “Gotta Catch Em All!”

#Pokemon #Pikachu #This was very emotional to write!#But it was worth it!#My Art

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absolutebl · 2 years

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Hello! I am looking for a few good bl to binge!

As a gay man myself, I really like it to have truly good chemistry...some bls I watch the chemistry is ZERO and then there is not a good plotline to back it up either.

I like cute stuff...I like dark stuff...

I really liked Cherry Magic, Manner of Death, KinnPorsche, Kieta Hatsukoi, Seven Days (my first and favourite bl) , The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese (that one hurt tho).

Any recomendations?

Hello!!! (I feel you on Cornered Mouse) and I am so happy to find another Seven Days stan.

10 GREAT Chemistry BLs to Binge right NOW!

For the gays who can sniff a fake a mile away. I notice a decided lack of Taiwan on your list. Is that intentional? Do you not like their style? You're probubly right to avoid Korea. Still a few show up on my list but let’s start with...

JAPAN

1. Old Fashion Cupcake (2022 - Viki)

It’s about a younger man with a long cherished crush on his boss (ten years older and going through a mid life crisis) who decides to save and seduce said boss with pancakes. It’s wholesome, comforting, sexy, and a very necessary narrative about still having hope, interests, and openness to affection at any age. It’s coming of age/queerness packaged in a subtle critique of expectations around masculinity and love and loneliness... and it’s beautiful. Full review.

Seriously GO WATCH IT, thank me later.

2. My Beautiful Man AKA Utsukushii Kare (2021 - GaGa)

You said you didn't mind a little dark, trust me on this one: the weird obsessive stalker angst will absolutely be resolved in the best way possible. You liked Seven Days so you don’t mind some traditional yaoi nonsense. This BL has the single greatest final episode of any I have seen since... honestly I can't remember when. It's brilliant.

One of the most Japanese BLs to release in the last decade, as weird and as messed up as any 2000′s yaoi: emo af and hella warped, entirely true to itself with no attempt made to modify its POV for modern sensibilities or current BL fandom. It used seriously old school problematic and kinky tropes, like whipping boy, for a truly uncompromising piece that also manages to hit up themes of communication, consent, and self acceptance. It’s a wonderful BL but uniquely dirty and harsh, in the best possible way - Japanese cinema, uncompromising. Full review of me losing my mind.

This show won the Grand Prix “My Best TV Award” at the 16th Galaxy Awards.

TAIWAN

Okay so the problem with the Taiwanese stuff, in general, is not chemistry but story. They are all over the place with story. And they can go very very VERY sappy.

3. We Best Love 1 (No. 1 For You) & 2 (Fighting Mr. 2nd) (2021 - WeTV)

Brilliant acting saved this show from a messy (pretty classically manga) narrative with a lot of angst. You have to buy in to a yaoi aesthetic with this one, accept that things move fast and occasionally confuse, but that everything will be okay. It’s the ultimate pining seme meets the ultimate tsundere uke. WBL successfully manages to combine the best elements of Korean, Thai, and Japanese BL as it exists right now. Couple that to the insane chemistry from the leads, and we have one of the greatest BLs of all time, cooking higher heat to a recipe I doubt anyone else will ever be able to replicate since only Taiwan is this flexible.

Like Seven Days I think the two parts exist together and should be watched as a pair. Unfortunately, to do so legally you need to join WeTV. I am considering doing this just to gank a clean copy of season 2, but... that’s neither here no there. You can watch season 1 for free in most territories, but you’ll need to go grey for 2 and 2 has some of the best acting and best chemistry I have EVER seen in a BL. It’s is brilliant. It’s all the leads though. SamYu are magic, you can see why the internet lost its collective mind over them.

4. Be Loved In House: I Do (2021 Viki)

A cute classy office set BL with a few plot raised eyebrows, but no other concerns. ALL THE TROPES plus a general sweet softness that’s pretty rare from Taiwan, who usually prefer to go hard.

5. DNA Says Love You (2022 GaGa)

An under appreciated gem. It’s a bit challenging to suffer through the paranormal investigators plot line, but at least it HAS a plot? When Amber enters the narrative he is so luminous it’s hard to tear your eyes away and the chemistry is on point with both couples (one LTR, one just starting out). DNA deserves extra marks for an upbeat approach to a queer story arc that other shows have systemically mishandled with sadness (in the guise of realism). There is a twist, which I found predictable, but knowing what would happen didn't spoil this show. The leads are engaging, and it’s full of queer found family representation and an unexpected amount of domesticity, plus it’s Taiwan, so the kisses are great. The last few eps really are special and life/love affirming - and the ending is big-grin charming. Full review.

6. HIStory 2: Crossing the Line (2018 Viki)

Taiwan’s best example of classic BL with a sports romance foundation using some of the most prototypical (but fortunately least offensive) yaoi tropes. One of my first and still favorites from Taiwan. Kinda like the Seven Days of Taiwanese BL, everything is on point and very yaoi. (You might consider the companion piece too, Right or Wrong. It’s rougher going but very formative for BL + marriage equality.)

7. HIStory 3: Trapped (2019 Viki)

If you don’t mind a bit of a shaky ending, everything else about this show is good. It has great plot, fantastic characters, and really excellent chemistry form both couples. Also FINE arse suits. If you liked KinnPorsche and want more Mafia BL with high heat it’s this one, Long Time No See, and Manner of Death.

Basically this is the definition of enemies to lovers. This is a cop + the mafia man he is chasing but WAIT: they fall in love. Added bonus side couple = assassin and nerd cop ALSO falling in love. It’s great. All the leads are stellar. Its high heat, fun action, and a bit of a mystery drama but pretty about all of it. My only warning is that the main couple doesn’t entirely end up together, it’s implied, but... amorphous ending.

KOREA

8. Semantic Error (2022 Viki)

You might give this one a try. For Korea it’s some of the best chemistry the traditional studios have managed. And it is flawless BL. Truly, perfection for the genre. Korea hit it entirely out of the Parks with Semantic Error by doing a university set BL featuring everything we expect from BL just done exactly right. It has Korea's signature quality executed perfectly, and added bonus good story, great pacing, stunning visuals, and fantastic chemistry. You cannot ask for more from a BL, let alone a KBL. Full review.

9. To My Star (2021 Viki)

It’s is a touch quirky to get into, but utterly charming once it hits its stride. This is the ultimate grumpy/sunshine pairing plus the most appealing light-filled kitchen of our dreams. If you can wade through the dead fish kisses there is massive pay out at the end. There is a second season of PAIN, but it has more great chemistry. Up to you if you wanna wade in, but if you don’t mind messy.... (Full review includes my reservations about season 2.)

10. Some More (2018 GaGa)

My last pick from Korea, this one is a Strongberry short, and it is SO very gay. About a city boy on a bike tour who gets injured and rescued by a taciturn, but (as it turns out) quite gay, farmer. Age gap, country mouse/city mouse, SO CUTE. Just too short.

Some other ones that are a bit more... complex?

These will be chewy and more work to watch, like Cornered Mouse.

Long Time No See (2017 Strongberry GaGa) - One of Strongberry’s few longer pieces and I don’t think this is strictly BL. It’s about assassins on either side of a terf war who fall in love not knowing they are on opposite sides. Or do they? Good fight sequences, mature characters, high heat, very suspenseful, AND an HEA. If you like KinnPorsche you will LOVE this show.

Blueming (2022 iQIyI) - It’s a tiny bit dark and a tiny bit bittersweet, almost too honest to a university experience and first love for BL. I wasn’t into it at first, but the leads are solid and by ep 5 it got really good, becoming a narrative about self discovery meets understanding and accepting others people’s flaws without hurting them. Ultimately we witnessed two characters maturing because of each other and their mutual affection, without that affection becoming the conflict point. Instead, tension was built around other aspects of identity, popularity, and self-worth. While production values were a touch lower than usual for Korea, Blueming included decent kisses and other forms of intimacy and a satisfying ending plus there’s judicious and very elegant use of tropes, (which is expected for Korea).

HIStory 3: Make Our Days Count AKA The BL That Shall Not Be Named) (2019 Viki) - Some of the best BL and best chemistry ever put on screen. Up until they move into together. Seriously, the moment they do, stop watching. Save yourself.

Plus and Minus (2022 Viki) - There is something off bout this show that I can’t put my finger on. I liked it but... the separation is forced and it could have ben a lot shorter. Chemistry is good though. It’s about codependent besties of 20 years finding their way into a romantic relationship. A bit cheesy, with lots of domesticity and occasional dumb drama. (But gay boys and chaos bis? What can ya do?) It’s not groundbreaking but it is a solid sweet unassuming little show of a style that is perhaps a bit more Thai than it is Taiwanese but I’m okay with that.

His the movie (2020 Viki) - His is about being a grown adult and still struggling with coming out as gay. It addresses the consequences of life choices disingenuous to identity. Nagisa turns up on Shun’s doorstep with his precocious daughter in tow. This is a touch confusing to Shun since they were each others first love. Shun has retreated from society, rejecting the world before it can reject him, already brokenhearted because without Nagisa he never had a reason to fight. Nagisa went the opposite way, tried to pretend to be something he was not and ended up with a daughter he adores and a wife who hates him. This movie is beautiful and the setting is unique and interesting but I'm not wild about the ending. Moody arthouse smackdoodle is going to pretend that "ambiguous" is somehow unique and special rather than bog standard commonplace for narratives of this type. Honestly, I think I mostly liked this because I have a mad crush on Miyazawa Hio (Shun).

The Pornographer series, specifically the first one AKA The Novelist. (2018 Viki maybe) - emotional manipulation, cheating, obsession, seduction, May/December (age gap AKA younger/older), kink, touch of necrophilia, and explicit. It’s your party you cna watch if you wanna.

Okay, what about Thailand?

You don’t name many from Thailand (Just KP & MoD) which is the juggernaut of BL and this is... telling.

Thailand can excel at chemistry, but since they are pretty married to seme/uke they aren’t very “actually” gay. If you know what I mean? Also there is a common thread, especially with the pulps, where side couples have more and better chemistry than the leads.

That said here are a few Thai BLs with great lead pairs that you might try...

Bad Buddy (2022 YouTube) - I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this one. This was GMMTV’s flagship BL and it started 2022 on a BANG (okay no actual banging but you know what I mean), starring heavy hitters Ohm & Nanon in a pitch perfect university Romeo & Romeo masterpiece that will give you domesticity meets pain whiplash throughout and jet lag at the end. Some of the friendship and family dynamics are overworked, but it has great production values, killer acting, and some conscious effort to correct for half a decade of Thai BL’s anti-queer mistakes. Full review.

Dark Blue Kiss (2019 YouTube) - this one is a buy in to get familiar with the characters (I have a how to watch guide here). But PeteKao are worth it. They are an LTR, but it’s on point. This is classic Thai BL with a university setting, great acting and complex characters, one of my favorite friendship groups, friends to enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers, multiple angsty af coming outs, including a long stretch of a secret relationship. High production values, good chemistry, BL side couple, not much queer rep, but lots of classic tropes and some great domesticity.

Dear Doctor, I’m Coming For Your Soul (2022 iQIYI) - This is a romance between a doctor trying to save his patients and a reaper who is both his enemy and (eventual) lover. Basically it’s the genius premise of a gay Doom at Your Service. High concept looks good on you, Thailand. It’s lovely to see KarnNat back on screen together and they are still great, and Karn is just painfully beautiful. Full review.

Love By Chance (2018 YouTube & Viki) - of all the ones I put on this list I dithered over this one the most. The physical chemistry is a little off but the emotional and romantic thread between these two is truly remarkable. And if you think of Ae as Demi, it works. I love these two so much, I might not be sufficiently objective though. (MAME warning) AePete’s meet cute is one of the best ever put on screen. They are just so genuine and soft with each other, it’s hard not to love them from the first moment. Many of the side couples are... difficult, but you can’t fault the leads. They will remain in your heart a really long time. Now there is some abusive ex action, but it’s victoriously dealt with by our tiny crass love muffin hero.

Lovely Writer (2021 YouTube) - Thailand criticizes itself and the BL industry while simultaneously giving us classic seme/uke with great chemistry in a one-two punch of “we love it, but are we supposed to? and must we think this hard, yet enjoy it SO MUCH?“ This show won’t appeal or make sense to those who don’t already have at least some Thai BL watching experience. What Lovely Writer does, at heart, is reexamine Thai BL has done to queerness, but in a very gentle way that has more to do with Thai BL growing up than any actual queer authenticity. It’s not parody or pastiche, but it is critical and self reflective and trying to correct for some chronic mistakes. Whether it is ultimately successful in this matter is going to depend on the watcher’s relationship to BL and queer identity. But that’s what makes this show beautiful, interesting, and thought provoking. And I, for one, applaud the effort even if I didn’t personally connect to the characters.

Not Me (2022 YouTube) - GMMTV gave us a dark disestablishment narrative (in a time of civil unrest) with established queer award-winning director Anucha and starring the biggest guns of BL OffGun. THIS IS AN AMAZING THING to get to experience in the BL world - nerve racking but remarkable. But was it ACTUALLY BL? It certainly a lot of BL elements, but in the end that’s not what the show was about, or even what it was genuinely trying to be as a performance piece. Still an amazing moment in Thai cinema, certainly worth your time. Don’t worry, it all ends happily. Full review. How good is OffGun’s chemistry, really? I have questions. But you still might like it. (OffGun & The Evolution of Chemistry for a BL Pair)

6 Thai BLs you suffer through ONLY for the chemistry

Seriously not a lot else to recommend these, but they are master classes in pretty boys kissing. Linked to my reviews when possible. These are mostly on YouTube.

Cutie Pie

Love Mechanics (either version)

Love Stage!!! (the THAI VERSION)

Secret Crush On You

Why R U?

TharnType - honestly this is the beginning of it all, so far as chemistry in Thai BL is concerned. If you want to know how KinnPorsche could even exist in this world, blame the success of this BL and MewGulf in particular.

I’m not putting any VBL on this list because the stories are just so incomprehensibly bad, but if you want to try one, do Mr Cinderella.

So far as Pinoy BL is concerned, My Day is AMAZING on chemistry but also bonkers and very difficult to get hold of these days.