#BL recap

[khaotungsfirst]

khaotungsfirst’s 2023 BL recap

Alright, I know I'm late but it’s the time of the year again where I post my favorite BLs of the year even though no one cares about my opinion lmao. Buckle up cause this is gonna be long...

Top Thai BLs

I Feel You Linger In The Air

What a breath of fresh air this was! Not only was the romance top-notch, I was also really invested in the plot and what was happening to other characters. The wlw sideplot felt natural and not shoehorned in and was what we all deserved. I'm just so happy to have experienced this masterpiece!!

Only Friends

Came for SandRay, stayed for BostonNick (and SandRay). Though it had its ups and downs I can't help but love it. There was so much messy drama that I was LIVING for every single week and experiencing that along with the rest of BL tumblr was the best thing. We desperately need more shows like this in the BL world.

Laws of Attraction

Ridiculous SFX could not deter me from loving this show. It's dramatic, it's over the top and it's ridiculous at times but it's crime so of course I liked it. Bonus points for cutting from the villain being killed in prison straight to the main couple's wedding. We love to see it!

Top Korean BLs

Our Dating Sim

This was my last watch of the year when I was looking for something that I could squeeze in without many expectations. How could I have guessed that it would turn out to be my favorite Korean BL of the year? Though the story is nothing new or groundbreaking, I enjoyed the main actors chemistry so so much. Korean BLs, to me, often feel a little stiff but they managed to make it feel so real and easy, I loved it.

The Eighth Sense

Oh, this was something else... High quality cinematography and high-quality story-telling. In the end I went into it with expectations that were too high to meet but still, such a touching BL that will definitely move you (maybe even to tears).

Why R U? (KR)

A show held together by three pieces of duct tape but enjoyable nonetheless. I don't think it's comparable to its Thai original. Yes, the plot is more or less the same but you gotta see it as its own thing. I do love me a panicked gay/confident gay pairing so it already had me from there. And let's talk about the kisses cause !!!

Top Japanese BLs

Tokyo in April is…

Friends to lovers my beloved!!! The PINING, the ACHING, the YEARNING! YEARS OF IT!! How can I not love it? Yes, this was a bit of a heavier BL but it was done SO WELL and the payoff from all the trauma was so satisfying.

My Personal Weatherman

What can I say? Japan just knows how to do it. In any other show the miscommunication between the mains would be annoying as hell. But the chemistry between these two was just off the charts. Nothing more to say.

I Cannot Reach You

Friends to lovers my beloved!!! the sequel. This time less traumatising but just as sweet and moving. A cute and innocent watch.

Top Taiwanese BLs

Kiseki: Dear to Me

The way I IMMEDIATELY knew ChenAi were gonna be my new hyperfixation as soon as I saw them in episode 1... They just have that je ne sais quoi, that special 'make me fall to the floor and bite my fist' quality to them. BZY and FZR also had their insane moments and in combination with everything that ChenAi were doing this show just hit the right spot. Can't wait to rewatch it.

Stay by My Side

Was it ridiculous? Yes. Was it cute tho? Also yes. Nothing I would rewatch but it did make me laugh a lot so there's that.

Top Chinese “BL”

Stay With Me

It’s not like we have much of a selection regarding Chinese BLs (cries in when will Eternal Faith, Immortaily and Winner is King be released from the dungeons?) but HOLY SHIT did they deliver with this one. I didn't know this was specifially made for international release when I went into it so I was in for a few surprises here and there. And I'm gonna say it: it's better than Addicted Heroin. The way their love story developed just has me screaming internally I LOVE THEM SO MUCHHHHH!!!

Top 3 overall

Kiseki: Dear to Me

Stay With Me

I Feel You Linger In The Air

Top pre-2023 BLs (that I watched in 2023)

The Eclipse (2022)

Can you believe that I only just joined the FirstKhao nation this year? I completely skipped this show last year NOT KNOWING what a masterpiece I missed out on. Finally a highschool BL with a capital P Plot! And the enemies to lovers was so so good!!! AkkAyan you will always be famous!

Love Mechanics (2022)

I'm not a fan of cheating stories at all but DEAR GOD these two!!! It's the YinWar magic that pulled me in and will never let me go. The constant back and forth did get a bit annoying at some point but I won't complain when we also got things like the shower scene...

Roommates of Poongduck 304 (2022)

Can ZB1 disband faster so Jiwoong can return to BL acting please? I jest, I jest... kinda. I loved the relationship dynamic in this one so much because they both held power over the other (and both were petty bitches about it lmao).

My Gear and Your Gown (2020)

The girls that get it get it, the girls that don't don't :) Falling for MarcPawin during Dangerous Romance and THEN realising that they're the mains for this show immediately put it on top of my watchlist and I'm not ashamed to say I liked it. It's very 2020 but sometimes that's all you need.

Favorite currently airing BLs

I did not want to consider these for the final rankings because they’re still airing and could theoretically still pull a Game of Thrones S7 on us but I have really high hopes for them.

Cherry Magic

HELLO???!?!? I LOVE ACHI SO F U CK ING MUCHHHH!!! And the way Karan is in love with him so gently and so deeply I- AAAAAHHHHHH. This is gonna be my new obsession I can feel it!!

Last Twilight

At first I didn't even plan on watching this because I didn't think JimmySea were a pairing I would enjoy (Vice Versa has been on hold for over a year lol). But GODDAMN did they prove me wrong! So soft, so precious... P'Aof you did it again!

The Sign

What a hodgepodge of genres... One second you're chasing a murderer, the next you're having sex fantasies about your coworker and then you're having visions about your past life with your soulmate (who is also said coworker). Love it!

Most disappointing BLs

Be Mine Superstar

I was so excited for a new JaFirst series as I really enjoyed Don't Say No, and Remember Me didn't quite quench my thirst. But this... if this was a BL then why did we spend SO MUCH TIME on the beef between the agents?? Shit was annoying af. Moreover, I really could not deal with Ja's character. I know a lot of people liked his innocent puppy-like behaviour but it was just too much for me. The only redeemable thing was the side pairing but even that turned into a hot mess quite quickly. Had to drop this at some point after I started watching it on 1.5 speed and realized that I'm torturing myself.

Low Frequency

Exciting concept but stiff acting and a plot that dragged on. Dropped halfway through.

Bon Appetit

It's not bad but just straight up boring. I finished it but it didn't leave any lasting impressions. I know you can do better, Korea...

Most anticipated QLs of 2024

Vampire Project (BOUNPREM VAMPIRE BL!!! I CAN DIE HAPPY ONCE THIS IS FINALLY ON MY SCREEN)

Jack & Joker (War finally getting his villain role let's fucking goooo)

IFYLITA Season 2 (PLEASE GOD MAKE IT HAPPEN P L E A S E also special ep WHEN????)

Spare Me Your Mercy (i will always be a slut for crime BLs)

23.5 Degrees (give it to us!!! LET US INNNN!!!)

My Love Mix-Up TH (istg if gmmtv doesn't learn from this whole cherry magic debacle...)

Eyes on you (even more spy/mafia/crime BL yes and thank you!)

Uranus 2324 (the production?? the story?? the cinematography??? I need it NOW)

Red Peafowl (this is either gonna be really bad or really good and I'm curious to see which one it's gonna be)

(I had Stay With Me S2 on this list until it was announced as cancelled on Jan 1st 😭😭 I wil never recover)

2023 Superlatives

Most iconic intro: Only Friends (long live First's thighs)

Quickest drop: Middleman’s Love (i was rooting for you Jade!)

Best supporting character: Tin's grandma - Laws of Attraction (sweetest lil supportive grandma who didn't deserve any of this)

Best Worst character: Jaewon's girlfriend - The Eighth Sense (I think this is the only bitchy ex-gf of the entire year and I'm glad about it)

Best side pairing: ChenAi - Kiseki: Dear to Me (do they even count as a side pairing anymore? If not then I'd go with GuyNawa - Dangerous Romance)

Best could have been if the writers wanted us to: NameSaifah - Dangerous Romance (no it was NOT enough!)

Biggest green flag: Win - Between Us (asking for consent is so sexyyy) / Yai - IFYLITA (he's the softest, most caring boy who's so so in love)

Biggest red flag (affectionate): Hira - Utsukushii Kare (my boy highkey needs therapy but Kiyoi wouldn't want it any other way so we'll let it slide) / Lom - Wedding Plan (the way he went about things was... questionable but I understand his reasoning behind it so I can't hate him)

Biggest red flag (derogatory): Boeing - Only Friends (bro just wanted to fuck with - literally and metaphorically - every and anyone and I respect that but dude...)

Most iconic kiss: Lee Won/Ji Oh - Why R U? KR (this was so fucking unexpected but they ate and left absolutely no crumbs)

Most iconic makeout scene: YangJai - Love in Translation (IN A GROCERY STORE?? FINGERS IN MOUTH??!)

Most iconic sex scene: TopBoston - Only Friends (oohhh the DRAMA of it all… truly gagged everyone with this)

Best unhinged horny scene: Jom - IFYLITA (I will never be able to look at massage oil without thinking about this...)

Best gays on a bike scene: Stay With Me (like… facing each other…. grinning at each other.... give me a minute)

Newest addition to the poor lil meow meow collection: Ai Di - Kiseki: Dear to Me (my feral murder kitten I LOVE YOU SO MUUUUUUCHHH)

And there we have it! What a year it's been... I can't wait for 2024 to be just as wonderful, unhinged, crazy and amazing. If you've read until this point I wanna thank you for enduring all that and also for supporting me and my edits throughout this year. Whether we're moots or not I truly appreciate every single person that interacts with me on this hellsite 🫶❤️

[absolutebl]

This Week In BL - October Is Looking Chunky

Sept 2022 Wk 5

Happy fall everyone! 

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying the most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Eclipse (Fri YT) Ep 8 of 15 - The pacing is starting to feel off and I am getting frustrated with the plot. That said, K is such a killer actor. And Aye is so damn pushy but with emotions as well a physical affection, he exposes his own vulnerability as a kind of benevolent attack on Akk to instill trust and worth and value and safety. Akk is just so scared and closeted. This whole narrative is less about love than it is about courage. Whether that is courage to live or courage to love. 

Vice Versa (Sat on YT) Ep 12fin - They are very cute and domestic boyfriends, and I realize GMMTV often does domesticity with their couples in the final episode. I’m thinking about the fantastic final ep of Dark Blue Kiss. “Celebrity coming out for love” is very Love Stage!!  Interesting that they advertised Not Me at the end, does that mean we have no new BL in this time slot from GMMTV next week? Curious choice they still have 4 more from their 2022 lineup.* I half expected the high school one. 

So what do I have to say about Vice Versa? 

It’s a solid BL with a weak plot but a strong concept. It’s very well acted and Jimmy remains the most charismatic talent that GMMTV currently fields. I hope we get more of this pair, either together or separated. That said, this is never going to be one of my top rewatch rotations, so I’m calling it for an 8/10. RECOMMENDED 

My Only 12% (Fri iQIYI) Ep 8 of 15 - Oh goody more pain. Look I like the noona romance thread. It’s obvious she had to break his heart, it’s what I would’ve done, it’s what Minato should have done. But it was still sad to watch. This is a well cast show. Sniffling at the end of this ep. Looking forward to seeing Siew come into his own and Cake crumble while they are apart. 

Ai Long Nhai (Mon iQIYI) Ep 1 of 10 - Words cannot adequately describe how much I dislike the credit sequence and music on this show. I nearly DNFed before a single line was spoken. The subs are also not good, but my Thai is getting better so I don’t mind as much as I once did. The show leads us out with: Slow motion + instalove + tons of familiar faces + some very terrible sound effects. Pretty much standard pulp territory. Despite all this, I actually kinda like it and they are so pretty. A rare sunshine/sunshine pairing! Nhai is an adorable idiot and Ai is confident king and I’m chortling away. Also GAY DADS played by IRL husbands Arm & Porsch! We’re good here, I’m happy. 

Work from Heart (Thurs YouTube) Ep 2 of 7 - Cute ex boyfriends. Thank god for uniforms. But now evil ex is overly aggressive. I’m getting Check Out vibes and that’s not a good thing. I love the tattooed actor who plays Guy, I wish he’d get more roles. I loved him in Ingredients too. 

Love in the Air (Thurs iQIYI) Ep 7 of 13 - It was a fine ending to the first couple and a good (if audio dubious) start to the second. I made more puns in the DUMPSTER FIRE TRASH WATCH ALONG HERE.

Fahlanruk (Sun GaGa) 3 of 12 - And now identical twins? SERIOUSLY?  The show sucks so bad. The story of 2 players never runs deep. Absolutely nothing happened this episode. I might drop this one. 

* GMMTV’s remaining 2022 BL line up is:

My School President - which I expected to be in VV’s time slot.

Moonlight Chicken - EarthMix’s next one, probably what they are working on next

Be My Favorite - recasting 

Never Let Me Go - filming now (assuming this will take on Eclipse’s time slot) 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Takara-kun and Amagi-kun (Japan Thurs GaGa & Viki) 6 of 8 - This is my favorite BL currently airing BY A LANDSLIDE. 24 minutes of pure agony and joy. It just makes me so happy but it’s also so high school angst and traumatic to live through. This is the best of Japanese BL, I keep getting a feel of Seven Days off it and I don’t mention that comparison lightly. Takara is SO CORNEY. Also. THAT ENDING. Yes. Exposed! No more secrets! Squee! I can’t wait to see what happens next week. 

Once Again (Korea Fri GaGa) 5-6 of 8 - This show. I swear it’s so in the throat creepy and tense (in a Kassandra the mad prophet way) but also weirdly sweet. Poor Ji Hoon, he’s such a nice guy in a world just has a in for him one way or another. I’m glad both actors are so good since it’s the whole reason to watch this. I’ve no idea how they are going to manage to resolve it, but it looks like we get a cute date next ep!  

It’s Airing But I’m Not Watching It

War of Y - too hard on my soul. Will I watch it eventually? Maybe? Probably not. I think we have an ITSAY situation going on here. Also BL Express was not best pleased, and I while we rarely share taste, in this instance I trust their reporting.

My Tempo - a Thai BL movie about the Thai music industry. Yeah, no thank you.

Oh My Sunshine Night - I’m scared it’s gonna be sad, so I’m waiting for spies to tell me it’s safe

180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us - ditto above

In Case You Missed It 

More Than Words (Japan indie subbed by furritsubs) - TIP ‘EM if you like em!)  All the eps have dropped, so I binged it. Basically the definition of moody arthouse smackdoodle. Makki is an outgoing but mysterious boy with secret pain. Eiji is the an older gay boy struggling with identity. Mieko is a broken angry girl who both makes them work as a couple and aches to belong with them. This is a story about all 3 and their complicated interweaving relationship. It’s about love and intimacy in all its many faceted forms. This is not, and I'm being very clear here, a romance. In fact this is not a romantic show in any way. It’s poetic, sad, and wistful. Is it beautiful and a little lovely? Yes. Did I like it? No. For BL stans like me? NOT RECOMMENDED. For the ITSAY and YNEH folks... have at. BL Express likes this kind of thing and did a great review. 

Zero Supporter featuring EarthMix in their KornWin roles dropped. Look these two are just so cute together. They aren’t as good at this premise as OffGun were in Our Skyy, tho. Still, ultimately, I like this special better than the original Cupid’s Last Wish. 

NetJames (forthcoming BL Bed Friend) portray a BL side couple in Thai drama Catch Me Baby starting Oct 6 on WeTV. 

Semantic Error won Best Couple at the APAN Star Awards 2022. And Jaechan won the Popularity Award. 

Gossip

Thai casting call went out for the world’s first omegaverse BL Midnight Fortune. Twitter went as pearl-clutchingly hysterical over it as we might expect. It's not my thing personally and I doubt I will like it (frankly I doubt it'll be very good, either, the plot looks like it was written by MAME & Jittirain) but you better believe I will dumpster fire trash watch this SO HARD if it airs. It's about time Thai BL started to get seriously experimental in its cinemagraphic life cycle. It will be gloriously whackdoodle. I did have it down for Japan first, Thailand is so plucky! 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting: Mon: To Sir With Love AKA Khun Chai - Thai (10 eps 40 min ea) on One31HD & possibly WeTV. Kabe Koji - Japan (10 eps 20 min ea) on Viki.  Weds: Ghost Host, Ghost House - Thai (5 eps 30 min? ea) YouTube for reruns. Sat: Big Dragon - Thai (8 ep 40 min ea) reruns on Star Hunter’s YT. Sun: Remember Me - Thai (8 ep 40 min ea) Gaga. 

FULL October 2022 line up is here. 

This week’s best moments?

Fucking awesome Takara. 

This year’s Namgoong Award for BEST WINGMAN goes to Katori in Takara & Amagi. He’s glorious. 

Ai Long Nhai calling itself out. 

And again. 

Eclipse being a tease. 

My Only 12% pulling our heart strings.

Vice Versa, beat that drum honey! 

I LOVE a back hug. 

(last week)

Current earworm? JJ Project (fetal GOT7) Coming Home 

[dropthedemiurge]

Time of Fever (Donghee/Hotae story recap) #1

Since this movie (Unintentional Love Story's spinoff, prequel about Hotae and Donghee) is currently shown only in cinemas in Korea, I went and watched it :D And for people who don't mind spoilers or want to know what's their story without waiting until it becomes available and translated online, I wrote a recap!

It turned out to be... uhh... quite lengthy so I'll make several posts or comments :] Let me know if you want to be tagged in them!

Disclaimer: I'm putting everything under 'read more' so people won't catch spoilers accidentally! Screenshots are from the trailer, I put them along the scenes I described. Disclaimer #2: I'm not fluent in Korean (especially listening to it by-ear) and some characters had accents/satoori so some details can be missed. But I tried my best to write down what I was definitely sure about :D I'm re-listening to my audio recording so it won't be that far away from truth.

Enjoy!

Hotae is standing outside, dressed in a suit, looking far away as kids shout around. The camera pans out, and it's revealed he's dressed in a funeral-attending suit (seems like his father has died). The kids' ball rolls to his feet, and they ask Hotae to pass them the ball back. Hotae leads the ball and plays the football with kids, starting to smile.

Hotae moves to the big cottage-like house with backyard and peach trees where his mom (and also Donghee) has been living. He is eager to rush into the house, calling out 'Hyung!' but Donghee isn't at home. Hotae is looking at all the old shelves, childhood books and sport trophees. 

He texts Donghee "Hyung, I arrived! When are you coming?". Donghee hasn't responded but he was coming after school, hesitantly walking along the house outer wall. Hotae notices him and sneaks to hide in bushes, jumping over and surprising him. I think they haven't seen each other for 2(?) years. They bicker a little. Then Hotae says: "Hyung, you haven't changed at all". Donghee replied with: "You grew up well, Go Hotae."

Their moms are chatting and suggesting Hotae goes to Donghee's school, while Hotae is taking out books outside and Donghee is studying inside the house. They steal glances at each other through the window.

Donghee and Hotae go through school's gates, Donghee is grabbed by a friend and Hotae is stopped by the guard (because of his improperly looking uniform). Then we're at the swimming pool, Hotae is in the team, getting scolded along with other late students. The head(?) of the team is Donghee's friend who said Hotae better be working hard, if he wasn't Donghee's younger bro (not specified meaning sibling or just junior) they would've kicked his ass. Hotae bites back that he's not Donghee's younger bro.

Donghee came home late, Hotae was waiting for him. He speaks to Donghee very informally and disrespectfully, 'You know what hour it is? Don't you hear me? Hey, Kim Donghee!' Donghee: "Are you out of your mind? Why aren't you calling me hyung?".

Hotae asks Donghee if he got 1st place in competition and says that he has to also earn 1st place then. He asks Donghee to come see him, even if it's just evaluation and not competition. Donghee responds that he'll come see Jisoo (his friend on the swimming team), Hotae is annoyed. "Say it once again! Who you'll come to see?! - Yoo Jisoo. - Again. - Who?>:(( - Aaah damn it, fine. You, I'll come to see you, happy?" Hotae is, indeed, happy and promises to get 1st place.

The swimming competition starts, Hotae starts well but fails. Donghee's standing outside waiting. Jisoo comes to him offering to come get some food, but Donghee declines. Jisoo's like ah, you're waiting for your guy, alright.

Donghee goes to search for Hotae. Hotae is sitting near the wall in his swimming suit, towel on his shoulders and head, he's trembling while crying. Donghee sits in front of him and says: "Wow, you're really ugly :D Get up, let's go grab some food. No? Alright, just cry out as much as you can then. I won't tell anyone."

They walk back home down the train road, lit up by the sunlight. Hotae: "Aah the sun is so bright, my eyes hurt." Donghee: "Isn't it because you cried so hard?" Hotae: "No!>:(" They bicker a little, and Donghee laughs at Hotae's face expression again. Meanwhile, Hotae was emotional but now he's in awe because there is someone watering bushes behind Donghee, and there are droplets of water and bright warm sun, and Donghee looks so beautiful. They walk back home together.

Hotae watches his mother dot on Donghee as he leaves home again. Hotae follows Donghee and discovers he's often staying in the old art workshop schoolroom. There are old drawing easels and canvases, books everywhere and two plaster busts. Hotae wanders around and tries to peek into sketchbooks, Donghee rushes to him and grabs the dark blue sketchbook out of his hands, scolding him not to open it.

(screenshot not from this scene but this is the view of that school art studio~)

Hotae discovers some book lying around and opens up to read it. It's a story about man turning into an insect (I didn't see the cover but I can safely guess it's "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka?). Hotae is confused what kind of story is this. Donghee is like "If one day I get turned into an insect, (will you still love me) am I Kim Donghee or am I an insect?". Hotae is still confused about his question and the book.

Hotae falls asleep, napping in the studio while Donghee studies. Donghee walks away without him but slams the door loudly so Hotae wakes up and runs after him. It's raining outside, they are covering their head with hood (H) and backpack (D). In the middle of rain pouring, Hotae stops giving any fucks and spreads his arms, shoving his face under the rain. Donghee looks at him, smiles and does the same. They both enjoy the pouring rain and play in it, until they run to hide in the tunnel.

Hotae laughs, they remember their childhood. Donghee asks why Hotae doesn't call him "hyung". Hotae doesn't answer but comes to him and helps squeeze out the water from his orange fluffy sweater. Romantic mood, cue~

The rain turns into thunderstorm when they are already home. They sleep next to each other on different futons. Donghee's back is turned to Hotae, he's facing the window. He's trembling under the blanket. We get flashback to an angry man (his dad) punching and hitting Donghee to the ground amidst lightning and thunder.

Hotae stirs up and asks whether he's cold or scared. Donghee tells him to just go to sleep, but Hotae refuses. Then he's like 'aah whatever, move!', gets up and lies right next to Donghee (back to him). After a while, Donghee turns and scoots closer, clasping his shirt in his fingers, asking Hotae not to mind it.

Hotae asks: "You weren't like this before, what happened? - Everything changes, so I have changed too." Donghee almost noses into him. Hotae feels the breath from his lips on his back, gets shivers and remembers it next morning as well.

They sit on a porch of the house, Donghee brought Hotae some cut up tomatoes to eat. Hotae whines that it's too hot. He grabs tomato, bites in it and the drop of juice escapes down his arm. Donghee fixates on it and reaches out to wipe it with his fingers. Hotae freaks out about it, gets a bit rude and leaves.

He's swimming in the pool alone, full of thoughts about Donghee that obviously bother him. There's a random girl who meets him after his practice, she confesses to Hotae and asks him out. Hotae: "Well, alright".

They walk together, but Donghee was playing basketball and now is going home. Hotae tells the girl he'll be leaving and runs to Donghee, putting an arm around his back that Donghee says to keep to himself. Girl, frustrated, yells after him. Donghee is confused but Hotae tells him not to mind it and offers to go grab some food.

Days go by, Donghee keeps texting Hotae to help him with something (like 'buy some eggs on the way home', or 'bring me earphones' etc), Hotae ditches his new girlfriend because of "urgent thing", and rushes home with eggs.

Donghee is cooking and is surprised to see his face (there is a small wound). We learn that girlfriend cursed at Hotae and slapped him for not giving her any attention and constantly ditching her. Hotae says it's nothing, he just broke up with his girlfriend. "Why? - Because I bought eggs. - What even is this…" 

Donghee walks home from school, he sees Hotae and goes to him happily but Hotae's with another girl who confesses to him and asks to become her boyfriend, and Hotae once again says "Alright then". Donghee is upset.

He returns home late, and Hotae yells at him because he was worried and Donghee wasn't responding to any texts, yet he was holding a phone in his hand (idk why but he had two in the movie xD). They bicker again about Hotae addressing him impolitely. "- Ya! (Hey) - Ya? Ya?! Hey, are you really not calling me hyung, you–"

Hotae looks at Donghee. "I can't (call you hyung). I won't!"

He walks away from him, but after awhile stops and turns back. "Go faster!" He returns and grabs him by the wrist, dragging him towards the house. Donghee smiles. Even when he tells Hotae to take his hand away, Hotae won't.

[to be continued–]

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

2023 Through Rose-Tinted Glasses

Rose's Favourites Our Dating Sim

+

[chaos0pikachu]

why did nobody tell me Kiseki Dear to Me went so hard??

Lemme break down the first 2 mins of episode one where a twink & a twunk walk out of prison and you know it's prison b/c the twinks hair needed some conditioner STAT and then rolls up this boss sports car out pops this gang looking dude with That Undercut Haircut and Thee Eyebrows that anyone who's watched History Trapped or Kinnposche knows what I'm talking about, tosses the Twink over his shoulder like a feral murder kitten and then we're whooshing to a flashback where 17 yr old twunk goes to pick up a quarter like any well respecting poor does (get that money!) when some feral but ridiculous hot dude covered in blood from the tumblr sonnets grabs his arm and Twunk is just channeling the Mariah Carey.I Don't Know Her.gif and Bloody Hot Dude is like here baby take my knife oop now you're implicated in my murder!! and has to take home this bloodied jean jacket 90s levi's commercial man to his house like being broke ain't hard enough

and then!! and then the episode ends with one of the hottest men in gang tv slitting a dude's throat while deep throating a lollipop I am ENTHRALLED

[liyazaki]

they own stock in Windex, actually-

big dragon x kinnporsche

[save-the-data]

Love in the Air: All Episodes, All Kisses

[gunsatthaphan]

🎆 🥂 𝐻𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓎 𝒩𝑒𝓌 𝒴𝑒𝒶𝓇!!! 🥂🎆

*cue piano music* another year is gone and I know no one asked for this but I wanted to take the opportunity to do a little recap and also give shoutouts to some lovely people 🥺  

It’s been a rollercoaster of a year, both for me personally and also regarding the content that came out. We got some amazing stuff but sadly there was also a lot of less amazing stuff and ultimately, the quantity > quality tendency dominated once again. 2022 was the year where I decided to take a few steps back in terms of my watchlist; I have come to the realization that the more stuff I watch, the more stressed I get - both regarding the pressure of always being up to date with everything, but also the pressure of creating content around said shows. Which might be a ridiculous thing to think but I usually have a feeling of insufficiency when it comes to my content. Which is why I put a few things on the backburner this year. Additionally I have also realized I’m not willing to put up with shows anymore that are not 100% to my satisfaction. Hate-watching is something I somewhat enjoyed before and admittedly there were a few shows that I watched despite not liking them (like unforgotten night or OMSN) which was mostly due to the amusement of making fun of them lmao. But I ended up finding a lot more joy in putting my whole focus on the few shows I genuinely enjoy, instead of watching an abundance of mediocre stuff on the side. Which was why the variety of content on my blog was a little limited this year. 

I took a 3 month trip to Thailand where, amongst other things, I emerged myself into the on-site fan culture and got to see a bunch of actors close-up and while that was an incredible experience, it made me realize how insanely commercialised this industry really is and how exhausting it must be for these people to always appear at these events with perfect smiles and what not. which was also part of the reason why I stepped back. I don’t want to make this sound overly dramatic but that was the vibe I got when I was there. oh and also don’t forget that time where I got shadowbanned from tumblr for almost 1 month and thought I would never get my blog back... good times 😬 

However despite all, I loved creating content for the things I was passionate about over the past year and I’m looking forward to making more in the next one!

I’m gonna post a personal top10 of the shows I watched this year shortly after this post goes up. Until then, I want to talk a bit about some of my favorite people this year - I’m not good with words lmao but thank you for being you and for making this hellsite a better place djkghdf 💜  

@leonpob - bestie 🥺💜💜 you know you’re one of my favorite people, I love talking to you every day and sharing our thoughts on shows and other things!!! You radiate so much comfort for me and I can’t wait to continue our talks in the new year!!! 😘 

@khunvegas - another year of collectively simping, trash-talking and screaming and I wouldn’t want it any other way jkdfhg. I cherish our unhinged and shameless conversations and I appreciate your non-judgy nature when it comes to unpopular opinions lmao. looking forward to another year of bl bants 🫡

@my-wandering-rabbit - you’re always sooo sweet and I absolutely loved talking to you this year!!! 💜 I appreciate your balanced opinions and your honesty and I'm looking forward to more chats in 2023!! 😊 

@odi-et-amo85 - I love our random convos lmao and I appreciate how nice you always are!! you’re so fun to talk to and I’m so glad we started chatting! 😙

@sleepypurplenote - ahh I love talking to you!!!! your messages are always so lively and fun lmao I love it!!!! 🥺 I love that we share so many opinions when it comes to BL stuff so thank you for being here!! 😘 

@laowen - We haven’t talked a ton this year but just know that I absolutely love you and your content!! on top of that you’re one of the nicest people I’ve met on here and I appreciate you and your blog so much!!! 💜 

@pharawee - we haven’t talked a lot yet either but your content is so amazing!!! I love your gifs and everything else that you do!!! keep up the amazing work and thank you for helping me with my giffing troubles! 🙈 

@bl-recs-and-reviews - my discord bestie 🥺 I absolutely love catching up with you and even though we don’t talk every day, it always feels like coming home when I talk to you 💜 let’s do that a lot more next year pleeasee!! 

@mrsandypants - ahhh you’re legit one of the sweetest and loveliest people I’ve met on here!!!! you’re so nice and fun and your asks are my favorites!! 💜 stay the way you are and please stop by my blog as much as possible 😄 

honorable mentions go out to these lovely people 💫

@10ways @offspring-of-calliope @jjungkookiess @fiftyshots​ @chainsawandronan@victooooorious @sillybiscuitshepherdskeleton @dollopheadsandclotpoles @theblbois @emisfritish @boun-prem @hecalledhimhyung @bengiyo @benkaaoi @clairificusrex @tumcialgun @vegaspetes @eaasysarcasm @german-bl-kpop-lover @patandpran @earthpodd @spine @tobeornottotc @ilajudica @zeejade88 @hunginggrapes @malec4everr @nanons @praninlovex @flukenatouch @dimension-eater @bfjeff @billkinspp @coldties @freensrcha @gooseras @guzhu-furen @jaehwany @jeffsatur @kaonoppakao @kimporchay @lakorns @liankuea @loveisactivated @machikeita @paisky @pranparakul @pranpats @prapais@patpran @seanwhites @seawherethesunsets @smittenskitten @sunsetandthemoon @tachinekoii @taeminnie @team-win @tehohaews @tirpse87 @wanderlust-in-my-soul @yibo-wang @ncppanut​ @ddreamzee​

thank you for making this fandom-year amazing with your content and just by being cute 🥺 happy 2023!!! 💓💋

xxx 

[owarinaki]

Ossan's Love: Returns EP1 recap 2

Os EP 1/1 ;; 1/2 ;; 1/3 ;; 1/4

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - 2022 is the Year of Cheaters

Sept 2022 Wk 4

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying the most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Eclipse (Fri YT) Ep 7 of 15 - Screw you GMMTV, that was a dream kiss? That’s some Kdrama bullshit, that is. Still Aye is such a good character, so perceptive, I ADORED his interaction with Kan. Neo is doing an epic job with that role. That was that softest achey stolen kiss in the world. Also this ep = Beach frolic trope and a Make It Right moment.

Vice Versa (Sat on YT) Ep 11 of 12 - DOOM EP was not very doom for an ep 11 (except for the acoustic guitar). Pluen goes back because of what Tun did accidentally, not him, which honestly I kinda like as a twist. I was very confused about the “month long tidal inaction,” did the alt universe have extra moons or something? 

My Only 12% (Fri iQIYI) Ep 7 of 15 - a tear jerker this week and likely next too. Also piggybacking across a bridge, two tropes in one. We about to get the time jump which is going to be interesting. 

Work from Heart (Thurs YouTube) pulp office drama featuring lots of couples starring Gameplay. Started dropping on YT so I picked it up and stuck it into rotation. Poor Dee, his gramps is so overactingly bad, mean, evil, and homophobic. Still there is a sweet little masked meet cute. There’s a bunch of drama around a workplace and other couples all over the rainbow, so that’s fun. Sort of SCOY goes to work. There’s some nifty linguistic stuff going on so I’m actually enjoying this pulp trash. Shocking. Truly TERRIBLE wardrobe tho. And I don’t love Nammon w facial hair. 

Love in the Air (Thurs iQIYI) Ep 6 of 13 - Not a bad episode, I wasn’t mad about it. But that’s kind of how I am with MAME, it’s always up or down and last week’s a cappella counter liftt situation rough, so I’m glad this one was a bit of a break. DUMPSTER FIRE TRASH WATCH ALONG HERE.

Fahlanruk (Sun GaGa) 2 of 12 - I do not like the narrative framing technique of the female blogger/whatever. Her character does not belong in this show. What she hast to say is unnecessary, pat, and boring. In other news we got into KP bathroom territory really quickly. “Do you really like him or do you just want to win?” would appear to be the premise of this show. Both characters are players, cheaters, flirts, and anti-heroes. They better both be deeply wounded or the narrative can’t save them. I’m assuming Sher made himself this way after some similar player type broke his heart. Not sure about Fah. That said, I do like how very gay, switchy, and verse these two are. Although a complete change of underwear in the middle of a sex scene was weird to say the least. I like the side dishes. No surprise there. Still I’m not sure I can take 12 episodes of this nonsense. I contemplated a trash watch but I’m not feeling snark-inspired just sad about it.

Linguistics corner:

Fah is using phi/nai or nong (in a belittling way) with Sher. Sher is using guu/mueng with Fah, Which is highly inappropriate and rude with a phi. These two are linguistically combative, to say the least. Also the show has all the wifey language your a little heart could possibly desire.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Takara-kun and Amagi-kun (Japan Thurs GaGa & Viki) 6 of 8 - No new Ep 6 this week. Have a lovely Shūbun no Hi if you celebrate. Otherwise it’s a good tome to be self reflective and contemplate about life balance etc.. around the Autumnal Equinox. 

Once Again (Korea Fri GaGa) 3-4 of 8 - It’s a little bit more creepy than it is romantic, but it’s also weirdly amusing (this strange kid just keeps hugging him - that’s like 1000x even weirder in Korea than most places) and more enjoyable than it has a right to be. It’s a really interesting take on the childhood crush trope among other things. JaeWoo must seem like SUCH a weirdo to JiHoon. I guess what I’m saying is, it’s odd but tense and well acted, which is a nice change for BL.

More Than Words (Japan indie subbed by furritsubs - TIP ‘EM if you like em!) Adaptation of Etsuko’s two mangas In The Apartment + More Than Words. Has a violent crazy beginning but it is necessary for the story. About a lonely neglected/abused girl and a cheerful kindly popular boy who go to school together and become besties. When they get part-time work at a restaurant, a cute older gay boy enters the picture. This is classic Japanese close-filmed melodrama, and it isn’t a BL. But it is excellent. Can’t be relied on to resolve happily, or even resolve at all. I’m engaged even knowing this, and I love this subber so I’m gonna stick with it.  

It’s Airing But I’m Not Watching It

War of Y - too hard on my soul. Will I watch it eventually? Maybe? Probably not. I think we have and ITSAY situation going on here. Also BL Express was not best pleased, and I while we rarely share taste, in this instance I trust their reporting.

My Tempo - a Thai BL movie about the Thai music industry. Yeah, no thank you. 

Oh My Sunshine Night - I’m scared it’s gonna be sad, so I’m waiting for spies to tell me it’s safe

180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us - ditto above 

Finished This Week

Coffee Melody (Mon Viki) Ep 10fin - (I am assuming episode 11 is a bts or music video.) The family dinner with the new bf was endearing awkward. We had a classic Korean one year time jump in the last five minutes of the final episode. (Which shoudl be left to Korea. Actually, even Korea should get to have it anymore. We’re done with this trope. I say this on behalf of the international viewing public.) My side crumbs got a cute little mutual kiss, unfortunately ALSO multiple sing your feelings tropes. (Will I ever get a week of BL without this trope?) It will be a long time before I forgive this BL for muffling Pavel’s light this way, I know he can do better. Very disappointing. Ultimately this show is so forgettable I’ve pretty much already forgotten it. 5/10 JUST DULL

Papa & Daddy 2 (Mon GaGa) Ep 8fin - It was a standard execution of the “marriage finale” endemic to most romcoms, just v. gay. I do like that my second lead syndrome got a little prospective action. Did I tear up at the wedding? Of course I did. We have established this before, I am a sap. All in all, this was a serviceable follow up to the first installment in the series, if riddled by unbearably unlikable parents, lack of story, and sappiness. 6/10 WORTH WATCHING BUT FLAWED 

About Youth (Taiwan Mon GaGa) Ep 7-8 of 10 - I thought this was a 10 episode arc so I’m a little sad to find it ending this week. Are we ever going to get an explanation about what happened with the side dishes Taiwan really likes a romantic “one boy balances another boy on wheels” thing. I really wanted Guang to leave his awful parents but Im glad he at least threw the test. And I really appreciated that he sent a video since it was a way for him to accurately communicate his feelings without being interrupted. Cute final kiss! Very squee-worthy. Rainbow was a little on the nose. tho. All in all it was great little BL. Classic YA low drama but high angst, I didn’t even mind the singing, and that’s saying a lot. I wish it had been given a bit more space to breathe, but all in all a great edition to the Taiwanese Bl lexicon which was in dire need of a good sold high school BL. Full review here. 8/10 RECOMMENDED 

Everyone say “Thank you Taiwan, may we have another?” 

Gossip

In a Forbes interview the executive producer of Semantic Error (and CEO of AXIS CPP) revealed that AXIS production will be opening Blue by Blue, a drama label whose first BL project is about vampires. Interview here. 

Kimmon and Copter are reported to star on their 7th BL together, a romantic comedy series, Boy Never Smiles. KimCop aren’t the longest running pair (MaxTul, BoomPeak, OffGun, and KarnNut trade that crown around) but they may now have the most BLs under their collective belts. 

New Thai BL from Uncommon Studio Midnight Fortune adapted from a Y-novel by wickedwish for 2023. The MDL and tag lines are bonkers so I’m not dignifying them here. 

Cutie Pie is getting a least one special episode, The Wedding, we assume. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting: Tomorrow Sept 25, 2022. 

ErthMix’s Cupid’s Last Wish special spin-off mini series Oishi advertisement Ep3 of Magic Of Zero: Zero Supporter on GMMTV’s YouTube. 

Male Entertainer (movie?) from Wayfilm, about a young man who works as an escort to support his family, on their YouTube channel (Trailer)

Monday Sept 26, 2022 

Ai Long Nhai (Thai Mon 10 eps iQIYI) About a man expelled from foreign university who returns to a Thai univ in disgrace and meets A Boy. Adapted from a y-novel, directed by Nob (La Cuisine, Gen Y). Secondary couple Nan & Sippakorn are IRL husbands Arm & Porsch (Together with Me). Familiar faces include Gun (Love Area’s Valen) and Jom (Nitiman’s Jin).

Ending: Vice Versa 

October line up coming soon, still waiting on distribution for some. 

This week’s best moments?

Heartbreaking but so good, My Only 12%. 

About Youth giving us a seriously classic old romance trope 1950s style. 

4th wall breaking snarky bestie in Work From Heart. 

And even more snarky queers. 

They were shiny crumbs in a sea of dull, Coffee Melody. 

This week’s worst fashion? 

OMG Work from Heart with the HELL? 

(last week)

Current earworm? Blackpink’s Shut Down  

[dropthedemiurge]

Nooo I just looked up 2 free episodes of the Love for Love's Sake novel's bonus stage (the novel was written long time ago and this June after Kdrama came out, the author wrote new short story)

AND IT IS ABOUT 19YO TAE MYUNGHA ENDING UP IN A 29YO TIMELINE WITH CONFUSED LOVING YEOWOON

And mission is To Make Tae Myungha happy, while penalty is Not being able to return to original timeline.

Aaaaahhhhhhh

The potential is potentialing

Somebody stop me from buying full story and translating it, I don't have time for this but aaaah

Maybe I can call it a practice of language... 😆😅

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

2023 Through Rose-Tinted Glasses

Favourite Shows Tokyo In April Is...

[sir-klauz]

Normally I don't really like the style of art in old school yaoi series/movies, but hey, that's generally the only ones us lot have to even watch online if we are in The Mood even tho there's new hentai for everything else everywhere, but I shockingly only just discovered Ikoku Irokoi Romantan//A Foreign Love Affair, and it seems to be only 2 episodes? This could be why it's not often listed... it's kinda yakuza vibes plus a ship captain. Mind you, as often happens, the nsfw scenes don't show actual nudity, but a lot of yaoi animation that gets a series tends not to. It's pretty romantic, and sexy too. There are scenes some people will find distressing, though, during a kidnap.

"Japanese yakuza clan heir Ranmaru just got married on a lavish cruise ship, but things aren't as they seem. The marriage is just for the appearances, and he ends up getting drunk and spending the night not with his bride but with the sexy ship captain. When the two men meet again in Italy, it is the start of a spectacular love story."

[chaos0pikachu]

no but Kiseki Dear to Me wins b/c in one scene there's 3 generations of Gay happening in a bathhouse. We got the Gen Z gays, the Millennial gays played by the cameo's of Aaron and Hank from Be Loved, the Boomer gays with legit Old Men Yaoi wrist grabbing and the romantic beat music dropping all in a bathhouse.

The show was like "what's one of the gayest places we can have our 3 tier generational scary gang meeting?" and the answer was a bathhouse like the fucking geniuses they are and then bonus tattoo objectification? Bless no notes perfection everyone else needs to step up their game.

[foralleternityidiot]

BL/Drama Recap 2023

Thank you @ommited-miscellaneously for the tag (ages ago). I finally cracked open my laptop and decided to give a go at catching up on some tagged posts.

Number of BLs you watched this year: I watched 140+ dramas this year, and I know at least 100 of those were BL. I didn't keep exact count though. There are even more if we count dropped series.

Primarily watched BLs from: Thailand. Hands down. Japan probably ties with Korea for second place.

You spent way too much time thinking about these characters: Hmmm TinnGun ate up a LOT of my brainwaves in the early months of 2023. Later in year I was all about WubiSuyu, then DaouOffroad for a while there, and now everything is HuaLian as far as the eye can see.

Your favorite show was: My School President probably tops the list. Runners up include Moonlight Chicken, Stay with Me, Love in Translation, Laws of Attraction, I Will Knock You, Our Dating Sim, Taikan Yoho, The Eighth Sense, Our Dining Table, La Pluie, Be My Favorite, god this list could keep going and going... oh, and we have Last Twilight and The Sign finishing out the year strong af. Footnote: I'm watching the donghua of Heaven Official's Blessing and honestly, it takes the whole BL cake for 2023.

You read the most fanfiction about: I really don't read fanfiction. At all. I was once fiercely addicted, but I haven't touched the stuff in over 10 years.

Another favorite from this year: Going for non-BL favorites here. Hidden Love was my favorite 2023 drama hands down, but I am also OBSESSED with A Journey to Love (I just haven't finished it yet). Although Love Between Fairy and Devil was a 2022 show, I watched it in 2023 and it's the best thing I saw all year.

The soundtracks you listened to the most: Definitely the MSP OST, but actually I listened to the originals more than the covers (City by Three Man Down, my beloved). Lots of Thai OSTs of even series I didn't watch fill up my top 100 playlist for 2023. And the soundtrack to LBFAD gets a regular listen.

Ok, that's all for me. Here are a few no pressure tags from my recent notes. The last three blogs in my activity feed are: @writerwithoutsound @fiddlepickdouglas @youdontnohme

[anotherblblog]

2023 Top BL Fanmeets

In 2023, I was able to continue my international bl fan ways and I had a lot of fun going to several events and getting to meet and greet and re-meet and re-greet some of my absolute favorites. I am definitely hitting picture limit with this one but here are my top bl fanmeets and whatnots

1. My School President Prom Night

Ok, MSP definitely was one of my most pleasant bl surprises of the year. I only started the show because Mark Pakin was in it but the earnestness and charm completely had me hooked, although I still sometimes hear "Hot Wave" in my head and snicker. When the live show was announced, I wanted to go and this event was a trial and tribulation to get a ticket for. Second to PP's for how much I overpaid because of 3rd party ticketers and this one had the unique galling factor that my reseller would only sell me 2 tickets and not one. So Day 1, I arrive, get my goodies and take my seat. The show starts and I was thoroughly impressed by the show. These kids put on a hell of a show and I have been to somewhere around 10 GMMTV live concerts and MSP was easily the best one. And because I ended up with two tickets it meant I got 2 photos with the cast. So after I took my first one, the staff moved me to the end of the photo line for my second one. In the immediate moment, I thought this was really inefficient and an inconvience to me because the goodbye sessions for these events are long. LONG. VERY, VERY LONG. But me going through twice and being the last fan to get a picture with the cast meant that when the boys saw me again they knew the fan portion was over, so they were so excited and energized to see me again and they laughed after I said now we could all go home. My two tickets were for Day 1 but I was still in Bangkok for Day 2 but didn't wanna go sit in the venue again but still wanted to hear it, so I bought a virtual ticket for Day 2 and I got the ticket with a raffle chance to win a video call with a ship from the show. I bought 2, one for MarkFord and one for Gem4th and I ended up winning the video call with MarkFord, so I was hella elated. Fast forward a month or so and I'm sitting in a zoom lobby for like half an hour and then suddenly I get moved into a zoom room and I see Mark and Ford and then they see me and have a big reaction and are exclaiming something but I hadn't connected to the audio yet but when I do they're like "it's you again!" and the commotion causes Gemini to come over and he sees me and goes roughly "hey bro, I remember you bro, I love you bro!" and then I have one of the fastest minutes of my life chatting with more Ford because of his comfort with English but it was great and I wore a sleeveless sweater vest and they commented on it and I said I was repping TwiPor and it was really great moment. So with both a fucking really great concert, a funny meet and greet/photo op story, and a bonus video call with the actor that got me into the show, MSP Prom Night takes my very coveted number 1 BL fanevent of 2023. Also! This happened in the spring and for Beluca Manila (winter) fans there recognized me from my last picture with the group and the boys energy at my reappearance. Really cute.

2. PP Krit ~ Lit and Glitter

My number 2 favorite show of the year was PP's first solo show Lit and Glitter. I Told Sunset About You is still my favorite Thai series and a good number of the staff at Cape Pawna Resort (Oh-Aew's house) know me by name and sight because everytime I got to Thailand, I work in a trip to Phuket. My very first BL fanevent ever was BKPP's Last Twilight in the Park. So when I saw the announcement of PP's first solo concert, this was half my anchor event for my spring trip. I can't remember if this was announced before My Beautiful Man Eternal but either way, I wanted to go real bad. It was another trial and tribulation to get a ticket for PP's show and............................ it was so damn difficult. Really fucking difficult. The scammers were out and tried very hard to deceive me but I perserved and found what I hoped was a legit seller and ended up with tickets to both nights of PP's show. Lit and Glitter was my first Thai show of that trip and it rivals MSP Prom Night for highest production value and budget (I presume). One of my irl bl besties is also a huge fan, so I got merch for us both and one of my newly made bl twitter friends who was instrumental in getting me connected to a legit reseller ended up sick and not being able to go so I got her merch as well. PP's show was amazing. It was fun, it was cunty, Billkin sang Alicia Keys with him and they both cried their way through their duets and I was tearing up too. I met a lot of fans and had some great conversations with people. It was a whole ass vibe. I luckily ended up being the first fan to get a picture with PP for the goodbye session, so I got a little more time on stage with him while they were finalizing the camera and whatnots. I lived in Hollywood/LA for a few years and that coupled with my travels and adventures I have been fortunate enough to meet many celebs I admire and people I find hella fucking attractive. Having around 1 minute of eye contact and smiles and polite conversation with PP Krit was easily a top 3 celeb moment of my life. The bambi eyes and just aura of that beautiful human being! Incredible. If I didn't luck my way into that vid call with MarkFord, this would be my number 1. It was an amazing show and the meet and greeting with PP was a true fucking delight. A friend I made in line was kind enough to take a video of my meet and greet and it's something I show all the damn time.

3. Gun and Friends events aka GMMTV Fanday in Osaka, Beluca Manila, and Starlympics

Ok so like, Gun is literally my number 1 GMMTV actor and this year I've gotten to see him many times and have been blessed to have so many little moments and conversations and jokes and smiles and amazing times, it's been so fucking incredible. Anytime I go to an event with Gun, it always becomes Gun (and maybe another person) and friends because Gun is my number 1. BUT I have always said at least "hi/hello/nice to see ya (again)" to Off and he and I have had some fun jokes too at my many appearances at their events. My number 2 GMMTV actor is Tay Tawan so when they started doing this Beluca (OffGun TayNew joint collab concert series) series, it was definitely on my radar and I was happy to see some shows were scheduled when I was already wanting to be back in Asia and I just keep having great moments with them. Last year, I went to Love Out Loud Fest and that was the first time I saw them in person on stage (along with BrightWin and KristSingto) but this year I got to get meet and greet and have hi touches and convos with Gun and Tay (and New and Off). Started my bl fan year with Gun, Mix, and friends in Osaka and ended my bl fan year with Gun, Tay, and friends in Manila. So like I've won as a Gun fan. And damn it all to hell, if Tay Tawan isn't a troll and tease. I ended up with 3 pictures/hi touches at Beluca Manila and after my first walk through, Tay would always make some joke at me and also laugh because I kept hoping I'd be in front of Gun and would say as much in jest to him as I ended up in front of him/Tay twice. OffGun and TayNew are veterans at fanmeets and so professional yet entirely engaging and fun to be around. Beluca in Manila was definitely the hypest crowd and best emceed bl event I've ever been to - absolute biggest shout out to Mela Habijan for being the best fucking host, she kept the energy up and also told the crowd (politely) to stfu at times so we could all hear the answers and translations [sidenote: these events can be so wild and chaotic and overwhelming at times, so literally it was incredible and refreshing to have an emcee who could keep that energy high and focused and occassionally quelled without ruining/harshing the vibes, masterful!]. Also also, shout out to @seinehsh for giving me blessing to use their incredible GramBlack fanart. I printed it out for my first time meeting Gun. I wish I could have gotten it signed but so far none of my Gun events have had the opportunity for a signing. With these events, so much of my fun and moments come from just utterly chance encounters, like me being in the exact right position to get an extra conversation or chat in crossing while the actors are being moved around. Or my position in line letting be right next to Gun (Osaka) or near enough to Gun for some chats (Manila). Now, I do have tickets for the next Beluca show in Taipei and this week they announced a Gun solo show which shouldfit in my schedule but I need to get a visa (actually lemme start the application today lol). So hopefully I will luck my way into more amazing memories with my number 1 and number 2 gmmtv actors. When talking with fans at these events, I was called "the American" and "the Gun fanboy" - really cute. And at Beluca Manila, fans recognized me from MSP Prom night 9 months prior.

4. About Us But Not About Us movie screening

Gameboys is what got me into BLs (and somewhat back on tumblr/twitter) and my love and devotion for Gameboys, The IdeaFirst Company, and specifially Elijah and Kokoy are so damn deep. Gameboys is what inspired my first international trip and my luck and opportunities have gone into overdrive when it comes Gameboys and Elijah and Kokoy. Last year, I unexpectedly got to meet Elijah when he came to a screening for his Blue Room movie (picture on my shirt) and that had so many amazing moments and lead to the absolutely wildest week of my life. Also the Gameboys and Elijah and Kokoy fanclubs have been really good to me and helped me a lot when it comes to getting invited or a heads up about these events. I've been able to meet and have really lovely conversations with Elijah and his parents so when I arrived to the theater for the About Us screening, they saw me over the crowd (I'm tall) then Elijah and his parents had the funniest reactions to my shirt. It was so cool and touching they remembered me and we always talk like we're dear friends and it's just really awesome. Gameboys and Elijah and Kokoy are just my whole ass heart and anytime I get to see Elijah, it's the coming home feeling. My lil pogi best actor. <3

5. KaownahTurbo DP DANCE STUDIO “HELLO & GOODBYE charity showcase 2023”

My other "fan luck pushed to the max" actors are Kaownah and Turbo. These two have been so kind to me and their fanclubs have been amazing and their management staff have been amazing to me. It's just incredible. I've had so many lengthy and meaningful conversations with them, it's astonishing to me. Them remembering me by face, sure, I stand out at these events, but they remembered my name unprompted and during one of the after fanevents, they specifically looked around and asked for me by name because they didn't want me to get left out of a group photo. Like these are my dudes and we always have a good time when we chat. Turbo did also give me a bit of a teaser after this event about The Campfire/My Universe and that was cool getting a lil tea from an actor directly.

Honorable mentions and one more picture because I'm at picture upload limit:

SantaEarth:

I saw them twice this year and the second time I was able to stay focused and have a cool chat with Earth and tell him how much him being out and open meant to me as a queer fan and it was really touching. I also told him I hope his next character is happy and he said "yes, finally I got it" so there will be at least one not traumatized character for him - we'll see how true that ends up being. And Santa, I told him I can't wait to see him as a vampire and he laughed and thanked me.

FirstKhaotung - I saw them in Brazil. Made some great friends. Went with my irl bl bestie and that was a lot of fun having company to witness all these shenanigans energy of a bl fanmeet. I asked First his favorite Beyonce song and he said Single Ladies and I told Khao the voices in my head say he's really cute too and First laughed hard and Khao laughed and got so shy, it was super endearing.

My Beautiful Man s2/eternal - so these "events" were so random and not necessarily fan events. The one opportunity I had for a fan meeting with Yusei, I didn't win. I did structure my spring trip around seeing the movie and the special edit and I did end up winning a raffle to go to a special themed dinnner for the movie at a really cool cafe. And it was my first time in Tokyo proper and I went to a lot of the filming sites for the show.

Starlympics - so I mentioned Starlympic above with Gun and in addition to him, I did get to see what felt like the full might and breadth of the GMMTV bl and gl actor armada. Highlights would be: seeing Neo and Mond and Great and Ohm in person for the first time, watching some questionably athletic people try to be athletic to varying degrees of success, watching some athletic people go super try hard mode (Neo and Fourth), watching what appeared to be some truly uninterested people do their mandatory miminum effort to say they participated (Gun and Mix and KhaoFirst), just observing a lot of the actors chill and hang out with their work friends. And then it was like a 3 hour music medley from basically everyone. Starlympics was definitely a showcase of "GMMTV can field a literal army so who can challenge us." Oh and yeah, watching Tay do his best to not get in Mark's way during the Badminton match, you better believe I wanna tease him about it in Taipei next weekend.

Tagging @bengiyo and @liyazaki because I have sorta fulfilled my earlier hope of posting my bl adventures