#my old man yaoi subplot

[thedrawingduke]

I barely made it in time but UPDATE! I can’t believe I made it this far. I’ve been aching to get to Rosy Hours for so long it’s a little concerning.

Also I gave Raoul some pants.

@ thedrawingduke on Instagram + Bluesky

[arathejedi394]

i have this vivid memory of somewhere for some reason writing down a joke about Chilchuck and Marcille's frenemy relationship being the only instance of wlm vs mlm hostility i will condone and then something else specifically like "this is also the only situation where they would put aside the wlw vs mlm hostility and join forces" but FOR THE LIFE OF ME

I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS. AND I CAN'T FIND IT. DID I DREAM WRITE AGAIN.

[thealogie]

I watched the Inside the Episode for the first time this week and the little rpf subplot they’re cooking up there has me screaming. Old man yaoi enjoyers we never lose. They've literally got Christopher Walken out there saying oh that man who played my husband? Never met him before in my life. We call that acting. By the way did you know John Turturro and I have been in love for decades. girl what

The way this is not an exaggeration

[asexualandalwaysshipping]

Given how much of a sucker I am for old man yaoi, it really came as a surprise to me that I wasn’t as taken with Zaundads as I expected. It’s not even as though I don’t understand or dislike the dynamic, I completely see the ship as a solid interpretation of their relationship but after watching arcane for the first time I wasn’t completely sold. And I think part of it goes in line with what I disliked about s2 and how they handled Silco’s character.

Starting with the obvious where Vander and Silco are clearly meant to parallel Vi and Jinx in terms of how ideology drives them apart, s2 completely abandons that concept by trying to showcase how the two men could’ve reconciled over a letter. I just hate that implication so much especially when the letter essentially says “sorry I lost my head, the blame is on both of us.” No accountability at all. We’re just supposed to accept that Silco, being as deep-seated in his morals as he is, would take that as an apology? It’s the same issue with AU Silco where it makes no sense that he and Vander would just be able to talk things through and forgive when in no scenario was that ever an option for Silco after being betrayed like that by someone he thought of as family. The sisters only reconcile when Vi manages to accept Jinx for who she is rather than Powder, but the writers pretty much settle the Vander/Silco dispute by saying it would all be solved if Silco completely reverted back to someone he no longer is so now the parallel is completely meaningless and I hate that. It’s also why I disliked the addition that Silco presumably knew Felicia because not only does it make the timeline of events confusing, but suggesting that Silco only takes in Powder because he recognizes her as the child of his old friend takes away from the fact that she’s supposed to be a reflection of him. He sees himself in Powder despite knowing nothing about her and takes her under his wing because he recognizes her pain. Again, parallels.

What’s more frustrating is that the writers seemed to have completely left behind Silco’s character after his death. The only ones who seem to remotely mourn his absence is Jinx and to an extent, Sevika, but then the story completely loses track of the amount of influence he’s supposed to have on Zaun. Just one montage and it’s concluded. Even his role as a father is diminished for the sake of the Warwick subplot where Vander’s influence as a father is what supposedly brings the sisters back together. But one could argue that Silco was more of a father to Jinx than Vander ever was and the writers seem to just… forget that. Because Vander can be the only father figure of significance at the moment.

So why do these fumbles turn me off from Zaundads? Because instead of taking the time to delve into their dynamic and explore just what makes their characters work together, the writers settle on a quick fix-it solution focused on hypotheticals that only work if you drastically change Silco’s character and motivations. So it doesn’t feel like you get an actually good grasp of the “what could’ve been”s or their relationship as a whole. S1 does such a better job of building up that tension and making you observe just why these two men regard each other with so much importance.

I dunno, maybe I would’ve been more on board with the ship if I had been there when s1 first released and didn’t immediately have s2 to tarnish my impression but those are just my thoughts. Obviously you don’t have to agree and if you have any counterpoints to what I just said I’d love to hear them. Again, it’s not as though I’m against the ship, it just didn’t click with me as much as I hoped and it’s just disappointing when a ship doesn’t reach your expectations.

[delphiniumarchangelmoon]

Stardew valley hot takes:

Yall are too mean to Pierre when Caroline is clearly the problem. Pierre is just a poor guy living on the edge of poverty desperately trying to compete with a megacorp. Caroline is regularly shit talking her daughter to anyone who will listen. They are not the same.

Clint is just awkward bro. Like he does need a reality check on some stuff and probably didn’t have the coziest upbringing with fantastic morals but also. Dude is just awkward he ain’t trying to hurt anybody.

Alex is a bottom, whether he’s dating a man or not. This dude gets pegged at a minimum. He puts up that macho attitude until you touch his prostate the first time then he’s putty in your hands

I think the wizard and Linus are in love and if someone has made a mod where you can match make them and let them be happy old man yaoi hermits together please give me the name of it. And if no one has made such a mod MAKE IT PLEASE

Speaking of old man yaoi wtf is going on in the adventurer’s guild why tf are they sleeping in bunk beds bro why are you as a man sleeping underneath another man?????(robin please remodel these guys’ house so they have room for proper beds neither of them is in shape to be climbing into a bunk bed)

Am I the only one who can’t figure out why Marnie and Lewis have to hide their relationship? Like. Both are single as far as I know. Neither has taken a religious vow of chastity to my knowledge. Old people are allowed to fuck it’s ok guys, you’re good. Why would anyone think Lewis is unfit to be mayor because he has a girlfriend????? That’s so random??? Like not the crumbling infrastructure or the weird statue you built of yourself, no it’s having a girlfriend that’s gonna kill your reputation? I call bullshit. This subplot makes no sense.

[kitschyfemme]

HI. BIG OVERVIEW OC POST THING. IT'S RAINFOREST FLOODS.

have you ever thought to yourself "hey wouldnt it be cool if there was an oc story made by two guys and it was about a haunted waterpark slash arcade in a fake town in a real state". you probably haven't. but if you have youre in luck! more under the cut ok.

rainforest floods is a terrible no good ocverse made by me and my good friend crawford @dykeseesgod. everyone in it sucks and is horrible except maybe one or two side characters. it's set in the podunk middle of nowhere town of timberline, new mexico, and more specifically a waterpark/arcade called rainforest floods (title drop).

also the waterpark SUUUCKS like its budget is nothing they are in debt. the managers havent paid taxes in 15 years. anyway these are the employees. theyre bad

and these are the co-managers. theyre even worse (and also toxic old man yaoi. these refs were drawn by the aforementioned crawford)

anyway yeah. they get up to wacky hijinks in what will ideally be a tv show coming out in one million years. they're also horrible and tragic. most of it is bruce's fault. some of its not though!

ok also here's some other side characters.

^ running gag that nobody knows her name except kelsey who has a huge crush on her.

^ unnamed girl's younger brother who is constantly faced with horrors and torment at the hands of the rainforest floods employees. dont get me wrong hes annoying as fuck but he didnt deserve to run on that hamster wheel. (ref also drawn by ford)

^ jeff's girlfriend. also the coolest person in timberline new mexico. worlds most unimportant minor character but she is wonderful and loved by the producers (me and cosmo)

FUNNY OUT OF CONTEXT THINGS THAT SHOULD MAKE YOU MORE INVESTED IN THIS OCVERSE

rainforest floods stupidity logic is a thing me and robbie came up with to explain why all the characters are idiots who dont find things out that are important to the plot too soon.

there's a chain gimmick restaurant that andy's whole family runs except him. its like italian food but its like also magicians. their tagline is "so good its practically magic". andy hates it.

kyle has a curse on him so that nobody remembers or recognizes him outside of like. his family. so the rff employees arent even targeting him for their shenanigans on purpose theyre all just weird freaks.

kelsey gives unnamed girl the company landline as her phone number because shes stupid and a ghost and doesnt have a phone.

the employees all get together on wednesdays in the breakroom and compare evidence on whether or not andy and bruce are together romantically. its the one thing that truly bonds them all together.

vincent: is a watchmojo fan, had his first kiss as beethoven in his 12th grade production of dog sees god confessions of a teenage blockhead (2004), gets really christian in some episode subplot, is not a swiftie but he is a gaylor, wishes he was jonathan sims sooooo bad, types like a toddler who was just given a keyboard.

vincent also ruined rainforest floods' lobby playlist

also there's a brand account that we run and post on whenever we feel like it. its more of a sounding board for ideas we may explore more in the future. its fun but it may be a bit difficult to get the full idea with the execution so :-( sorry you wont fully understand our wonderful and hilarious visions

annnd i think that's it. yay worlds silliest yet most tragic oc story. ok bye ^_^

[tokidraws]

Pieces of Media That Have Permanently Altered My Brain Chemistry

In sorta chronological order:

Gravity Falls: Once your there, you'll never leave, paranormal and wanderlust, my young brain didnt need that shit, so here we are.

The Lunar Chronicles: While not my ultimate favorite piece of media, this book serious, along with Renegades both jump started my love for reading, complex plots, and a good romance subplot.

Percy Jackson: Solangelo, no comments, not sure how i started shipping them, but it happened, oops.

The Song of Achilles: Really brought out my love for romance, specifically that hopeless no happy ending sort of book.

Good Omens: Start of my obsession with media.

TGCF/MDZS/SVSSS/MXTX Novels: GAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYY. more things that the story just really stuck with me :3

Supernatural: I believe this was the first fandom I got into because gay, also just more things I love, I will rant about it.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: OMG ITS SO GOOD I WISH I COULD ERASE MY MEMORY AND GO BACK AND WATCH IT IM GOING TO IMPLOD-

Hannibal: Behold, Toxic Old Man Yaoi, my favorite.

Terror in Resonance: Beautiful, in every way something could be.

[queatherine]

td spoilers episodes 9-13 (long post; more in depth thoughts towards the end)

ep 9:

the dudes being there for priya awwwww that was so sweet !!

hey julia, is that car cool enough :)

sighhhhh mkulia

julia is that tiktok lumberjack lesbian,, i think shes canadian too

ep 10:

listen, i think we could all agree that the moment damien found that immunity idol way back when sealed his fate that he was NOT going to be a finalist,, so i wasnt surprised, just saddened

julia manipulation truly is everything i love evil women

ep 11:

MACARTHUR??!?!??!??!? truly not the cameo i expected, but i did not mind it!!

can we stop this annoying distrust arc between priya and caleb?

cant believe they killed off raj

so like,, did dinosaurs just never go extinct in the total drama universe??? is this one of the insane lore bits like 9/11 never happening (or happening some time after 2009???) 9/11 was the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs

CANT BELIEVE THEY VOTED OFF RAJ NOOOOOO IM WAYNE FRRR

ep 12:

me 🤝 priya afraid of lighting + thunder

OLD MAN TENNIS YAOI????!?!?!?! PULLED THEM OUT OF THEIR GRAVES FOR THIS CAMEO WOW

can we stop this annoying distrust arc between priya and caleb? pt2

i dont ship juliayne (juliayne shippers i do not hate you please do your thing i love you), but goddamn i want more interactions between theyre sooooo silly

ep 13: listen, i think wayne winning is fine. do i love himbos? yes. was i rooting for him in the finale? yes. in the grand scheme of things, do i think he is a good finalist? no. we can all agree that hes very much an owen, and i dont mind that!! i actually think having a fan favorite, comic relief, underdog third party winning makes sense in this season, because i dont think caleb or julia winning would be a satisfying end (especially how they were handling them by the end)

caleb's story was messy, and at the end of the day (and i know that the intentions changed), he did start his alliance with priya to use her. him winning, after all of the drama, after priya was gone, wouldve just idk felt shitty. he did get the girl in the end, which concludes his story better than him winning it. (if im comparing this to the tdi 2007 final three,, i guess hes the gwen)

as for julia, she had two seasons to be villain, and it was amazing. she is so good at what she does and she is such a joy to watch. and we all know how total drama handles its villains, they need to get their comeuppance. did bowie double cross her last season? yes. and she came back still was the main villain and was AMAZING at it. but she was still the villain for another 13 episodes, AND HER GETTING PRIYA OUT LAST EPISODE, she cant win. was her just desserts satisfying? meh. nice callback to heather (we all know julia is the heather of this comparison), though i can understand people who dont like this callback and think its tiring or something. they couldve done something else, but im not mad (i kinda fuck with the mullet). i just see no satisfying way for julia to win with how she was presented in these seasons: she was not world tour heather, with three full length seasons and a greater threat to overcome; she was island heather, and therefore could not win.

overall thoughts of the season:

im someone that thinks the hockey bros jokes nearly always land, so i enjoy the shit out of them (i think im in the majority?)

im someone that did not like priyaleb at first, grew to being more neutral about it, but still found it to be a bit tiring. i like priya, i like caleb, i dont like tiring romantic subplots, and it sucks that that was the entire thing for these characters this season

the julia mk duo was AMAZING, one of the highlights of this season and one that i never wouldve expected to be real. mkulia wins in my heart and i hope they start their podcast (JULIA WAS GOIGN TO USE THE MONEY TO START THE PODCAST WITH MK HOLY SHIT GIRL IS IN LOVE)

it sucks that certain characters really got nothing this season (millie, nichelle, emma, and even axel to an extent).. but i get that characters like millie and emma already had a lot of screentime last time and someone has to be an early boot (just realize the ones i listed off were all women,, damn the writers fr just hate women)

at the end of the day, i really enjoyed this season. and i think the most important part of that enjoyment was this was the first time i got to watch a season and have no idea what was going to unfold. i watched the first four season of total drama when they were airing, but i was a little kid with poor comprehension skills. the first three seasons aired before i knew how to read (i learned to read late). and with tdpi, rr, and tdi 2023, i watched them after the fact and knew who the winners were going in. this was the first season i watched were i truly did not know the winner, and that added to my enjoyment. not to mention this being the one and only time i was present in an online space to talk about show as the episodes dropped. this season was a bit messy here and there, but it delivered some great stuff. i found myself laughing out loud and just having a good time, which is all i need out of my silly little cartoon

[royalydamned]

so i watched sonic 3 recently and i was VERY confused and dissapointed in the amount of on screen stone and eggman interacting with eachother content in that film.

AND I BLAME YOU!!!!!

DAY IN DAY OUT YOU REBLOG NOTHING BUT STOBOTNIK SONIC 3 CONTENT AND WHAT DO I GET WHEN I FINALLY WATCH THE MOVIE?!?!?!?!?

ALMOST NOTHING!!!! I DONT EVEN SHIP THEM NECESSARILY YOU JUST GAVE ME A FALSE PERCEPTION!!!!!! /nm

Omg hi hello, I'm so sorry about the Stobotnik spam 😭

(Now this is an apology to everyone who followed me for whoever I was before Sonic 3)

Ok in my defense! There was much more of them in Sonic 3 then in the previous movies and BOY was it intense. I can get why people wouldn't think so, but the shippers went crazy 😭. Like they HAD THEIR OWN SUBPLOT FOCUSED ON THEIR RELATIONSHIP!!? I'm still crashing out over that...

Plus, it'd be so mucb better if they included the deleted scenes

Especially this one like HOLY SHIT.

I'm sorry you expected more😭 my bad....but you gotta admit that was some pretty gay shit in there. Hopefully we get even more in Sonic 4 but by my merit this is just them being like "oh yeah, you guys were right we can't just exactly show it".

Hope you enjoyed the movie anyway! (And started shipping them a little bit). I wanna go back to posting all my other fandoms but I am in a firm grasp of the toxic old man yaoi and I can't get away.

[moutheyes]

The Year in QL: 2024 Top 10 and Appreciation for Original Scripts

For the first time in five years I managed to sit my ass down and finish a yearly roundup post, so I'm cross-posting some of it here. You can read the whole thing (including expanded blurbs) HERE; it has some number breakdowns and the rest of my ratings.

Top 10 of 2024

10. The Rebound (8.0)

My good friend C. has excellently articulated a “grand theory of anime” that I kept thinking about while watching this show:

an anime is any series that combines (1) “manic purity,” (2) internally consistent, if deranged, character motivations, and (3) suspension of disbelief wrt worldbuilding/setting.

The Rebound is anime. It is anime in the form of a batshit insane live-action basketball BL that was tailor-made for me as a viewer and for Meen (a real-life basketball player! I’m not sure if hoops is his side gig or if kissing men is his side gig, and honestly I don’t care!) and Ping as actors. There is absolutely no way to fit this series into any sort of real-world logical framework, and in fact its closest comp title might be the under-appreciated sapphic-ish anime Birdie Wing: Golf Girls’ Story, because it follows a very similar trajectory in which the first two-thirds of the show takes you on a series of sharp descents into chaos involving mafia elements, underground betting on street ball, toxic old man yaoi, and wildly disproportionate stakes like kidnapping and worse, the culmination of which made me black out from the sheer amount of adrenaline coursing through my veins, but then they… go back to high school? to play high school basketball? You have to respect a script that does not respect reality.

The actual basketball in this show was barely recognizable as an organized sport, but on the other hand the story was so engaging, with thoughtful emotional arcs, multiple instances of unrequited love, and a second lead people could actually root for—and did, to the point where some folks felt poly-baited. I don’t know if I want to fight Golf Tanwarin or if I want to give them all of my money to make more shows like this.

9. Only Boo! (8.0)

Sometimes a show doesn’t need to do anything groundbreaking to win me over. Sometimes it just needs a protagonist who is a charming bundle of hopes and doubts and desires and unceasing gumption, and a love interest who is Doing His Best, and enough youthful earnestness to melt a cold dead heart (mine). Only Boo! was a triumphant debut for Keen (Moo, who I wanted to eat with a spoon) and Sea (Kang, stoic and self-sacrificing), and the first two-thirds of the story—everything leading up to the idol arc—was pitch-perfect, as bad student/aspiring idol Moo shamelessly flirted his way past food vendor Kang’s measly defenses, opening his eyes to not just the possibility of love, but also his own dormant dreams of being an artist. While the last third, centered around Moo’s idol life, suffered from uneven execution, especially regarding some of the subplots, the show had done enough by then to establish Kang and Moo’s relationship as one that was worth seeing through, and every bit of sweetness at the end felt earned.

8. Dead Friend Forever (8.5)

This was unlike any other show I watched in QL this year—an anguished, ambitious horror fable that showcased BOC’s best young talent at the time. DFF was a mashup of ’90s slasher flicks, even older closed-room mysteries dating back to Agatha Christie (And Then There Were None, obviously), contemporary horror as social critique, and folk and spiritual elements from Thai horror.

This was dark as hell; the shit that Non (played by Barcode, who broke me with this role) went through, at the hands of his supposed friends as well as almost every single person who was in a position to help him, was really difficult to watch. As vicious and manipulative and cowardly as the teens were, though, the more tragic and enraging failures happened at the adult and societal level. Family that shunned instead of accepted, enabled instead of educated, adults that preyed instead of protected, police that obfuscated instead of investigated, and so on. The visual storytelling was stunning, the thrills and twists were more of the hold-your-breath variety, and the final set piece was a bold choice that required a lot of careful setup to pull off, and I loved the way it all played out.

7. Peaceful Property (8.5)

This was GMMTV’s best show of the year, as well as its most creative offering since The Warp Effect, boasting a fresh concept and original script, solid production value (the vibrant color palette made me so happy), and a main cast that not only played off one another well (a real challenge when it comes to comedy!) but also had genuine chemistry beyond the romantic kind. Also, a personal weakness: the repeated motif of a communal dining table. The ghost hunter/exorcism setup served as a natural backdrop for slapstick, supernatural/horror elements, and camp, but there was an intentional gravitas baked into the story from the outset. I was really hooked by the socioeconomic commentary (should have seen it coming with the real estate angle, dammit) vis-a-vis the ghost of the week, which asked some important questions—who gets to have their story told, whose lives are deemed valuable and whose are deemed disposable, and, of course, the true meaning of a home.

6. Jack & Joker: U Steal My Heart! (8.5)

Perhaps more than any other project this year, J&J represented a truly maverick vision. The script was a maximalist whirlwind, the production quality was superb, and for the most part the show accomplished what I think it set out to do. Every episode was jam-packed, which meant the series itself felt laden in the best way, like a holiday feast. There was an increasingly ill-advised series of heists! So many disguises (including drag)! Pointed commentary on the cruel realities of socioeconomic disparity! Sadistic rich people behavior! Lovable grandma and young neighborhood spitfire stealing scenes! So much groveling!

The focus on community was a strong thread throughout, with Jack and Joke’s individual journeys woven firmly through. My personal preference would have been a grittier, more bittersweet ending, given the build-up to a high-stakes climax, but for a largely self-funded and self-driven passion project, this was genuinely impressive from start to finish. It managed to balance heart, humor, action, romance, and social commentary, while showcasing powerhouse performances from YinWar (these two men can Cry), and will remain one of my favorites purely on those merits.

5. Love in the Big City (9.0)

There was no way I wasn’t going to watch this, but the more I learned about the production process and its struggles and triumphs, the more invested I became, to the point where I was worried that I had overhyped it in my mind. Turns out, one of the best novels about queer urban life can in fact also produce one of the best shows about queer urban life, one that celebrates all the joy and wonder and messiness of dating and romance while still foregrounding the intense loneliness that can make a person self-sabotage, or leave them unmoored despite having a solid support system. Nam Yoon-su delivered a layered, poignant performance as Go Young, showing all his human parts—the likable and difficult sides alike—and portraying his growth over time along with the relationships that came and went. Speaking of, the elliptical structure of the novel posed an interesting adaptation challenge, and the series took a creative approach by employing a different director for each of the four “chapters” of Go Young’s story, which paid off with subtle but appreciable differences in each of the two-episode arcs.

4. Knock Knock Boys! (9.0)

There was something magical in this original script, which gave the four housemates room to establish real platonic intimacy, talk frankly about sex and love, and otherwise become real bros, and the romantic relationships developed out of all that healthy organic communication, which was quietly kinda radical for BL. Outside of the feelings stuff, the show also packed in slapstick, hijinks, sex ed, family drama, and most importantly, the Awkward Sex Scene Of My Dreams. Latte was rightfully a fandom-favorite character of the year, but the show succeeded on the back of a real team effort, and I know I’ll go back to this show as a comfort watch in the future. Amazing how four dudes sharing a chaotic home-cooked breakfast (see also: personal weakness; visual motif) after a night of hard drinking can alter your brain chemistry!

3. Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo (9.0)

After struggling to fully connect with some of Hwang Da-seul’s previous work, I can say that she did something special with LFCT. The way the script dealt with the titular curse — which encompasses cycles of abuse, childhood trauma, and debilitating societal pressure — was sometimes feather-light and required deep attention paid to the small visual details, but it never pulled its punches when it came to Big Feelings, nor did the un-cursening progress along a linear path, which felt frustratingly realistic. Do-hoe and Ju-yeong were but mere babes at the start of the series, navigating through late adolescence while hiding deep scars and shouldering heavy burdens. After things went terribly wrong, that rupture affected each of them differently in the 12 years afterward. Watching them try to reconcile while picking at old wounds was painful, but it was so easy to root for them, both separately and together, both in their teens and as adults—and even more than falling back in love, I wanted them to heal, to experience that moment of catharsis when the curse was finally lifted.

2. My Stand-In (9.0)

This show was actual catnip for me. It wasn’t on my radar at all, but I followed the buzz from fandom and was rewarded with an utterly thrilling second-chance narrative featuring two of the most compelling characters of the year. The concept of a stand-in (stuntman, lover, body) pulled triple duty to delicious effect, the post-transmogrification part was handled especially well through the use of mirrors and other reflective surfaces, and there was also a welcome streak of absurdity to balance out the pathos of Joe’s story. My Stand-In was just excellent on all fronts, from Poom and Up fully embodying their complex characters, to the elegance of the adaptation, a sustained sense of high drama, and sweeping romance. I knew the show had me by the throat when I found myself deliriously anticipating the moment when Ming and Joe would finally fuck in missionary.

1. 4 Minutes (Sultrier Version) (9.5)

From a technical standpoint, no other show I watched this year came close to the cinematic qualities of 4 Minutes—the use of visual motifs, framing, and editing were all exquisite, and the acting was also superb across the board, with Fuaiz giving a breakout performance in the role of horny vengeful twink Tonkla. But I was also deeply impressed with how the themes played out, as characters grappled with the repercussions of guilt and redemption, vengeance and acceptance, life and death. To me this was a story about how flawed the human heart is and how rare the chance for salvation is. It wasn’t quite perfect—the speculative aspects didn’t resolve all that neatly (perhaps they are saving it for the tentative sequel?), and I think the pacing could have benefitted from one more episode to let the story breathe a bit—but I loved that it was a serious, mature show that asked metaphysical questions and managed to strike an ending note that was both bittersweet and intensely hopeful.

Originals vs. Adaptations

I started tracking original scripts vs. adaptations this year, and actively used it as a tiebreaker to determine my top 10 rankings, because to me there’s value in rewarding creativity when it comes to pure screenwriting. Obviously there were some standout adaptations this year—there are many thoughtful posts on Tumblr about the choices My Stand-In made to transform the source material (a Chinese danmei) for a Thai audience, for example. And Love in the Big City took a well-known, internationally beloved novel and brought in four different directors to helm each of the story’s four sections, which enriched the viewing experience. But when it came to QL as a genre, I found myself genuinely captivated by the diversity of the original scripts, to the point where they counted for 7 of my top 10 series of the year; put another way, 7 of the 9 originals that I watched this year were extremely high-quality shows.

I mean, look at the scope of material! Deeply unhinged high school sports/crime BL (The Rebound); queer ensemble mystery-horror mashup that was sad as fuck (Dead Friend Forever); ghostbusters found family bromance (Peaceful Property); we found love in a hopeless place.mp3 with heists and crying (Jack & Joker); a romantic dramedy with four housemates—I know it sounds so mundane next to everything else but I promise they are all hot messes (Knock Knock Boys); nostalgic angst-fest that wants to know if the couple that trauma-bonds together can trauma-break together (Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo); and time slip speculative thriller sponsored exclusively by Durex and cat food (4 Minutes).

Spectacular, give me 14 (more) of ’em right now.

Some scattered thoughts:

Part of my struggle with adaptations is the fact that Thai-language Y-novels aren’t more readily available in official English translations outside of the more popular creators, so it’s hard to use them as a reference point. Every time I’m watching a QL adaptation, there’s always the questioning voice in my mind wanting to know if there were any substantial changes made, how different the end product was from the source material, etc. Sometimes a Thai speaker will pop into a Reddit thread to share their thoughts, and I’m endlessly grateful to Tumblr users like @clairedaring who provide comparisons and commentary for adapted series like My Stand-In and Spare Me Your Mercy, but access to that information across the vast swath of Thai BL is patchy at best if you don’t know the language.

While it’s important to evaluate work independently if it spans across mediums (or even adaptations by different countries)—and I do it out of necessity for most Thai shows, as explained in the previous point—there’s also a natural compulsion to want to make those comparisons. If a show starts to go off the rails a bit, and I know it was adapted from a novel, then I get curious about whether the problem is rooted in the source material itself or stems from the adaptation process. I’m inclined to start my criticisms at the screenwriter and director level, since they are responsible for the final script and on-screen product, but without knowing how the original work unfolds, it’s hard to determine what the ideal fix might be. You can’t just say screw the source material, after all.

I think Sammon is a great case study on the challenges of taking a completed work and trying to retrofit it for a different medium (i.e. adaptation) versus working freely within certain parameters from the beginning (i.e. original script). Until collaborating with BOC this year on the original scripts for Dead Friend Forever and 4 Minutes, we’ve only seen her own work made into shows, with varying degrees of success. Even as recently as this week, we saw that tension play out in the fandom reception to Spare Me Your Mercy, which was adapted by a separate writing team; the challenge of trimming down two volumes of plot into 8 episodes while maintaining the thematic richness of the story resulted in certain sacrifices being made by the screenwriter. On the other hand, with 4 Minutes, you didn’t have to wonder if there were parts of the story that were left behind in the adaptation process, because presumably the show more or less reflected the exact story she intended to tell. (Obviously things get cut in the editing process, but Sammon isn’t sitting there having to discard entire years’ worth of plot because of time or budget constraints, unlike what happened with SMYM.) Thus you can evaluate any flaws in the storytelling directly.

I’m going to make a separate post looking ahead to 2025 but I will say that if I do find myself needing to prioritize my time, originality may become a bigger deciding factor. GMMTV actually has a decent slate of non-adaptations coming up, and I’m also looking forward to whatever WeTV and Viu have in the pipeline as original series, since they had a pretty good track record for me this year. (Not to spoil anything before we even turn the calendar, but Caged Again is well on its way to making that top 10, so count that as another WeTV win.)

[10hourshift]

When you think about the lack of adults in fnafhs, and the lack of narrative importance they have*, Bon's dad becomes a very interesting character, even if he just appears in like one minute of one episode.

It's not THAT long but ion like scrolling

*not to say that there aren't any adults in the series, just that the ones do Nothing™ when they appear, I mean, the only one that comes to mind that ACTIVELY affects the plot (or would affect bc season cut short) is Ms Lana, but she never got to do anything so ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

I'm just gonna talk about the old man this should be quick. (Finishing notes, it wasn't)

He is part of the Yaoi shonen ai subplot alright, at this moment Bon is especially conflicted with his feelings about Bonnie as he has already realized what they are but is afraid to admit it*. The only question now is: why won't he admit them?? It's clearly something he has considered from the beginning, and, after spending more time with Bonnie, is almost a fact that is love (ignoring the possibility of platonic feelings for a bit for the sake of the argument). The answer is: his dad.

*this is more of a personal reading as we know edoo would extend the "maybe maybe not"a lot more. BUT I say this confidently bc at the end of the whole camp arc Bon gets the heartbroken forever alone joke or smth when Bonnie insist on being friends, I rest my case, I got derailed for a bit lol

In the scene where The Man appears (he is nameless you see) we get a glimpse of what the relationship with his son is.

When bon is in his room getting ready for school (and pondering on his results of the Am I Gay? Quiz of life) we hear the voice of his dad to come downstairs. He notices the (not so subtle) injuries on his son and ask what that's about. Bon tells him it's from a fight. He gets up from his seat to clearly interested about it, whether he won, if he used some technique he taught him, etc., looking all invested and proud at his son's actions, finishing the conversation saying how he is proud that Bon is finally acting as a man and that he was getting worried of Bon being "effeminate" (or woman-like to be exact) with all the accessories and especially the sleeve he usually wears. He doesn't make another appearance from there (besides at the end of the episode where he introduces toddy, but he isn't important in here, so it doesn't count)

So, his character is pretty straight forward, he is stereotypically masculine, incites violence and is emotionally distanced from his son, as we see how he dismisses his interest and tries to push him to fight with his lessons on various fighting "techniques". Bon gets pretty bummed out from this short conversation afterwards, having to reassure himself after leaving his house. From here we take that Bon is not close with his dad, and also that he seeks for his approval or at least to not get on his bad side, and understandingly so, seeing how he reacts to smaller things, such as the sleeve.

So what's so interesting about him then?? He gives Bon depth, even if said depth is just showing that he comes from a "kinda homophobic-ish, idk if my dad would kick me out of the house if I'm gay" background. This small information gives us a new perspective of Bon's conflict, after that it's not only a story of a teenage boy trying to understand his sexuality and get a bf or smth, it goes deeper now, what are those feelings exactly, how much influence does his dad have on him?, how does this affect the relationship with his dad? What would he do if his family rejects him for being himself?

Soo idk what I'm going with this I just wanted to talk about my thoughts about the old man whose role is being homophobic for the plot ok bye

[visckera]

rant about pride(2014) because I just watched it and it changed my fucking life. It’s on Apple TV and it’s also in cinemas right now you should go watch it bye (totally not propagandaizing u rn)

it’s abt a group of gays and lesbians in 1984 who raise money for a mining village in wales but it’s SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.

there are supportive 50+ women, there are incredibly relatable stories of discovering yourself, there is beauty, there is pain, there is OLD MAN YAOI. WITH ANDREW SCOTT

like,,,it is so joyful and human and it makes you laugh and cry all together and it’s a movie about love. it’s about seeing other people suffering what you suffered through and sticking up for them.

it’s about the beauty and fleetingness of life, especially back when aids was rampant. it shows the pain queer people went through but how they pulled through and held on, with a million tiny human subplots from the ‘all lesbians are vegetarians’ to the middle aged gay man teaching young straight men how to dance.

I fucking can’t honestly. it’s perfect in every way, so achingly perfect, and today June 28th, is the day all the miners csme and supported London pride.

there is something there for everyone. the feeling of knowing your parents don’t support you and everywhere people are against you, but the joy of watching several older women play out a scene where they are completely pissed and finding a gay couple’s vibrator under their bed.

and it’s a true story btw. angry that we didn’t learn this in history, but thankful someone taught it to me.

Yeah thanks for hearing this out. tbh I love that movie sm, might be my new favourite. OH and there are many wet paper towel men. I love those guys.

[absolutebl]

MY TOP 10 BLS OF 2021

Criteria: BLs that ended in 2021, regardless of territory, platform, or length. Including those that started in 2020. This is separate from my normal BL ranking system and entirely a matter of personal taste.

I am a chronic re-watcher of shows. I love these not just because of story, acting, script, or quality but COMFORT. So I judge on how often I think I might rewatch to feed my soul. Also, I want a show that makes me smile more than cringe - pure emotional response. I like something that satisfies some BL tropes but is innovative or slightly unusual in its approach and story and I tend to prefer more fluffy fare.

So under those criteria these are

The 10 BLs That Won My Heart in 2021  

(in order)

Color Rush (Korea Viki) - a high school set BL with a unique paranormal twist that makes this a pitch-perfect allegory for the queer coming out experience and one of the best BLs of all time (I will fight you on this) 

We Best Love AKA We Best Love: No 1 for You & We Best Love: Fighting Mr 2nd (Taiwan) - the 1st season is a short run classic university set BL combining the best of Korea & Thailand’s modern takes on genre. The 2nd season moves into the office, and employs Japanese style in terms of setting, obsession, and mature concepts. WBL thus successfully managed to pick up and combine the best features of Korean, Thai, and Japanese BL right now. Couple that to the insane chemistry from the leads, and we have one of the best BLs of all time, cooking to a recipe I doubt anyone else will ever be able to replicate since only Taiwan is this flexible. 

To My Star (Korea Viki) - limited use of BL tropes makes this more of a sweet contemporary gay romance between an actor plagued by scandal and the grumpy chef who adopts him, but the gentleness appeals to fans of the BL genre 

Light On Me (Korea Viki) - Korea does a pitch perfect classic high school set BL with all tropes cleverly deployed to bolster one of the most riveting love triangles ever put on screen… and I don’t like love triangles! 

Utsukushii Kare AKA My Beautiful Man (Japan GaGa) - one of the best most Japanese BLs to release in the last decade. It used seriously old school yaoi derived problematic and kinky tropes, like whipping boy, for a truly classic 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. 

Lovely Writer (Thailand YouTube) - somewhat requires understanding of Thai Bl as an industry to comprehend fully. It’s a bit sinister and self critical but classic yaoi-style dynamic, strong seme/uke and solid story. An excellent all-rounder. 

Be Love In House: I Do (Taiwan Viki) - A cute classy office set BL with a few plot raised eyebrows, but no other concerns, plus a general sweet softness that’s pretty rare from Taiwan.

A First Love Story (Korea YouTube) I KNOW a microfilm, I’m shocked too, this is from Strongberry though, so not that shocked 

1000 Stars AKA A Tale of Thousand Stars (Thailand YouTube) -a strong story concept that nods at BL tropes and elements but manages to elevate them and itself.  

See You After Quarantine? (Taiwan Viki) - Taiwan’s answer to Gameboys is just as charming and adorable and still quintessentially Taiwanese as one might hope. It features a Japanese love interest and the cutest most confused disaster gay. The two have almost no actual screen time together and yet manage some truly amazing chemistry. Honestly how does Taiwan do it? 

Honorable mention: Favorite tangential to BL? Absolute BL (Japan). And the BL subplot of MarkOuWen on Love is Science?

Last year, 2020′s favorites.

And now we see why I have a Viki subscription. 

(source)

[obstinaterixatrix]

unfortunately for reasons out of my control 'old man yaoi' is a phrase that has been irrevocably integrated into my vocabulary so when the romantic subplot kicked in the only thing I could think was 'oh my god. christopher walken old man yaoi.'

[a-tale-of-legends]

Believe it or not I'm very very hesitant and anxious when talking about the ships I have for my au. Both oc x canon and canon x canon, for a multitude of reasons, but! I think it would be beneficial to everyone if y'all knew what are the ships I plan to have here. I'm not going over every single one, just the ones that comes to mind. No oc x oc here only because those are the ones I'm most comfortable talking about, since it's all my canon and my characters. Putting it below cause it's gonna get kinda long.

Cheren x Lear. The fanart got to me lol. I think they're cute.

Bianca x Roxie. My personal rare pair.

Hau x Gladion. It's not immediate,in fact it pretty much takes them years to even recognize they have romantic feelings for each other( like near adulthood years). Though even before that, I think the platonic love between them is just so sweet.

Kukui x Burnett x Guzma. I think Guzma deserves all the love,okay.

Kenji x Silver. The first oc x canon on this list!

I used to plan on shipping Kiran and Barry together, but recently I'm thinking aroace Barry is the Barry I want for my au. Not sure if he's romance averse, or if he's okay with being in a relationship that focuses on it. So, again, they're in a weird limbo, but honestly I might just have them be friends. I'm only adding it to the list cause I needed to get it off my chest hgvhvgvgvcg.

Cynthia x Diantha! Battle moms! Actually, no, I think battle wine aunts are probably a better term for them.

Maybe Cyrus x Saturn? Like honestly there's so much baggage here, and I don't want to make every single reconciliation of ones past turn into a romantic subplot. I do think Saturn has/had the hots for Cyrus tho.

Sycamore x Lysandre. They make me sad :)

Lillie x Amsonia. I already talked about them here. Amsonia and Gladion are wlw mlm hostility.

Short term Alexis x Leon. Long term Leon x Raihan x Piers( unless I change my mind abt Piers but for now he's in the throuple)

Jin x Kohaku x Wally cause I said so. Old people love ( they're 30)

Miguel ( Eva's dad) x Emmet. Old man yaoi

Naomi x Marnie <3. They've always been on my mind but I wanted to focus on the non romantic relationship drama that they had ( cause it's a lot), and like some other ships,they only really start to notice these feelings until way after swsh.

Unless I say otherwise, I don't mind y'all interpreting how I write Hop and Bede as romantic. Truthfully, I actually enjoy the ship, but realistically I can only see it happening way after swsh, when they're both matured and chilled out and are actually friends. So I guess they are ambiguous in my au? Idk. Still gonna focus on their friendship in my writing tho.

Sakura x Adaman and Zero x Volo! Sakura and Adaman actually had kids :3

I don't actually have a canon ship for SV right now. Trust me, I see the potential with some characters ( Ramona and Arven, Ramona and Nemona, Arven and Giacomo, etc), but because of that, and the fact I'm indecisive as hell, there isn't a canon ship for Legendverse! SV. I will still talk about them cause I have brainrot, but nothing is really canon just yet.

Obligatory Steven x Wallace, Red x Blue , Archie x Maxie, you know it, you get it.

And yeah! That's the ships at the top of my head. There's probably loads more that I just haven't thought about or seen haha. Just wanted to be on equal footing with you guys ( and try and gain a little more confidence in speaking about it).

[zhuhongs]

はいーーー、そしてそれが終わり！！

Cherry magic was very cute and very hard hitting. Tbh Honestly I'm gonna be REAL... when I heard the premise it rlly rlly just sounded like fujo bait.. like its SUCH a cliche fanfic premise omg... like I rlly expected it to be kinda crude and simple. Like it's so gimmicky.. the fucking virgin magic stuff... it's such a gimmick omg.. I rlly rolled my eyes when I first heard abt it. Esp making the connection of cherry and virginity in the title like HELPGJFJDJSJ. Like I wasnt sure I'd like this but i know a lot of yall liked it and i trust my mutuals taste so i watched it and rlly I'm glad. The first 5 episodes made me like...bawl with how relatable and down to earth it was. Ik half of my lb was in japanese and maybe 1 person put it thru google translate outta curiosity but wow like that shit HURTED. God... when all u do as a 20 yr old is overwork urself and feel alienated from all ur peers and even ur friends for being boring... this hits a little different xoxoxo (I'm fine ♡)

The characters were a lot more fleshed out than I thought and while I can still see the tropes in them, I think the live action aspect rlly did it a service. Like if this was animated I wouldve 100 percent written it off as just fujo bait no matter what yall posted idc. But this as a drama felt super real. It was so on the nose abt the kind of anxieties someone like Adachi would have and treated his character with grace.

I rlly only have one notable complaint. I wouldve liked to see and that is having adachi initiate things a little more. Again, ik hes like 30 and never held a hand so hes timid and thats like part of his appeal. But I do wish the relationship seemed more balanced in terms of that stuff. Like if I was kurosawa and I always was the one intimating that stuff I would feel a little strange but it's fine. It's just a small pet peeve but I feel like that stuff and rlly the whole concept of adachi always being so timid goes into like yaoi couples being written with heteronormative ideas behind them. Like yes they're a gay couple but iirc the author is a straight woman or at least isnt mlm and I dont trust and idk.. there were a few moments were I was like... This seems like they're trying to be heteronormative and make adachi the "girl" in the relationship but it was mild but still I'm just a little :^///. Though the scene of Rokkaku standing up for minato and straight up saying like "so what if hes gay" made me drop it. Bc I'm rlly glad they just said it like that. Though again I'm still critical of the instances where the characters were like "but we're both men!" Usually it was like deconstructed like when Kurosawa said it in ep 4 I think. But then when adachi did it a few times I was like... king pls stop. Like generally speaking they did rlly well on the front of not making lgbt relationships taboo and there was no unnecessary homophobia subplots minus rokkakus misunderstand of tsuge. And Adachi never had any big crisis like "oh no I'm gay!! What shall I do!" but i still wish those aforementioned things didnt haooen as much but ANYWAYS... I just will ignore that for sake of I want to enjoy the rest of the series but still, I have my complaints.

Also.. just a personal thing but I WISH they wouldve used each others first names like at the very end.

My personal favorite trope in japanese media (I guess this would apply to most east Asian media but sh) is first name basis bc like family names are the default way to address someone so when I see a couple use first names or change to using first names when their relationship deepens I just Go Crazy.. I rlly love this trope but ik that most ppl probably dont care abt this thing.

Anyways.. cherry magic was rlly solid and made me cry like.... more than it had any right to and honestly I dont think I've had that sorta reaction to smth since I first watched cql. Maybe my first read of tgcf i had that kinda reaction but man... the gay stationary salary men got me.. they got me.

Edit: oh also I hated the little imagine sequences with the fucking choir music... like omg... pls stop that's so cheesy I was embarrassed for the actors watching all of that