#I hurt so much for Pran but also for Pat

[wen-kexing-apologist]

What are your top 5 “oh” moments. Like the moment that a character realizes that they are in love or that they realize another character is in love with them. ❤️

Ooo I love this question, and naturally the second I am presented with it I forget every single ‘oh’ moment that exists in all of media. And also I have watched too much of media so I forget a lot of things. I’m going to stick to BL because I didn’t really watch a lot of romance stuff before I found this genre and it’s fresher in my memory. 

Pat in Bad Buddy 

gif by @nick-nellson

My absolute favorite thing about the ‘oh’ moment in Bad Buddy for Pat is that Pat is someone that must act immediately. Pat does not sit on his feelings, he doesn’t mull them over, he doesn’t spend any time reflecting. He figures out that he likes Pran and then immediately seeks him out, immediately talks to him about how lonely he was without Pran when Pran transferred schools, immediately tells Pran his feelings. Pat and Pran are such good balances to each other. Pat’s family has always won, Ming has always won, Pat is not punished for interacting with Pran the way that Pran is. So Pran learned to quiet down, to hide, to keep things close to the chest. And he’s been harboring these feelings for Pat for so long without slipping up about it. But because Pat has never really experienced the severe consequences Pran has, he’s open, and honest, and expressive. 

I love love love love LOVE the sigh of relief, the utter bliss and joy that we see on Pat’s face when they pull away from their kiss, and you can tell that to Pat everything makes sense! It’s a relief, he understands his feelings, he’s let Pran know, Pran has responded in kind. And I love love love love LOVE Pran’s reaction to realizing Pat liked him back, the way he sets his jaw before he goes in for the second kiss, the way he can’t let himself have it, the way he knows he essentially signing a death warrant if he allows this for himself and his mother finds out. So he is devastated, he has to walk away from the moment. It’s such a phenomenal execution of an ‘oh’ moment. 

Im Han Tae in Sing My Crush 

gif by @smileytharn

Sing My Crush is probably my favorite offering I’ve seen out of Korea, I love it so much and for so many reasons. I love the level of comfortability and platonic intimacy that we get between Han Ba Ram and Im Han Tae from the jump. Those boys are so comfortable with each other, and though Han Ba Ram is a perpetually suffering homo being cuddled by his unrequited crush, the love and care they have for eachother is so palpable. What I love about the “oh” moment in Sing My Crush is that it really is simultaneously short and sweet and prolonged. In Episode 5, Han Ba Ram confesses his feelings to Im Han Tae, and we get Han Tae’s initial “huh?” reaction, that includes them dropping their held hands, and Han Tae has zero processing time before Ba Ram is telling him he is leaving and then running away. And I love that the second that Ba Ram is out of site and Han Tae has a moment to contemplate, he sits down, and he just stares at his hands. 

AND THEN WE GET THIS BEAUTIFUL MONTAGE THAT JUST REPLAYS ALL OF THESE MOMENTS OF INTIMACY BETWEEN BA RAM AND HAN TAE BUT HAN TAE IS RECONTEXTUALIZING THEM IN REAL TIME TO PROCESS HIS OWN FEELINGS FOR BA RAM. 

And then right after that we just a scene where Han Tae is just dissociating about it until he reaches a point of understanding and comfortabilty with it. And then…

Nothing. 

Han Tae and Ba Ram go right back to interacting like they usually do, and the confession just sits, and Han Tae is touching Ba Ram, is letting Ba Ram wrap his arms around him, is telling Ba Ram to lean on him. Han Tae is showing Ba Ram it is okay, he’s okay with this, at least with knowing that Ba Ram likes him. But Ba Ram is depressed, and he’s been hurt before, and I love the way Han Ba Ram and Im Han Tae are able to work through some of their own feelings in the boxing ring. And Han Ba Ram gets to devastate us all with the:  “Why is it so tiring to like someone? What did I do wrong?” 

Like, we know that Han Tae likes Ba Ram, but then he sits on it for an entire episode, until Ba Ram takes back his confession because of all the shit with that dickhead music teacher. And we get Ba Ram’s “oh, he likes me’ moment an entire episode later. I don’t know, I think it’s lovely. 

Nozue in Old Fashion Cupcake 

gif by @itachis

All I have to say is: Togawa, you poor fucker, I am so sorry for the agonizing torture Nozue unintentionally put you through by calling you hot, offering his body, and going out on dates with him when Nozue didn’t know you had a crush on him. Old Fashion Cupcake is nearly untouchable in it’s ‘oh’ moment. It’s handled so brilliantly, the rise in tension between them, the anxiety just radiating off of Nozue, the way all pretense from Nozue just falls away, the four minute continuous shot! 

Like, truly you when Togawa starts waxing poetic about how he’s got the spark for life because of Nozue and things start to click in to place for Nozue, and I love love love love love the build-up to the kiss, it’s peaceful and they are getting somewhere and then Togoawa gets the phone call and Nozue panics. Nozue starts making increasingly ridiculous, half-hearted, and obvious excuses to get the fuck out of Togawa’s apartment. The way Togawa grabs him? Incredible. But the response from Nozue throughout the kiss? It takes an incredibly strong actor to handle it the way that Nozue did. The utter confusion at the beginning, the gears turning in his head, trying to figure out how he fucking got here, while at the same time kissing back. GOD! So good! So so good!

Kiyoi in Utsukushii Kare, Season 2

gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul

This is a non-traditional ‘oh’ moment, because it isn’t a “oh i’m in love” or “oh I love him” moment at all. What it is is a “oh I’ve been mistaken” moment that is just absolutely brutal and heartbreaking. There is no doubt whatsoever that Kiyoi is in love with Hira, every fiber of Kiyoi’s being, every cell in that boy’s body loves Hira. But Hira has not loved Kiyoi, he’s been obsessed with Kiyoi, he’s glorified Kiyoi, he’s looked at Kiyoi as a god Hira should worship and serve. The way Yagi Yusei plays the moment that Kiyoi realizes that his understanding of his relationship with Hira is horrifically flawed. The way Kiyoi looks like he’s been slapped the second that Hira admits he isn't sure he wants to understand Kiyoi? It’s brilliant. “I’m sorry I like you” like???????? hello????????? 

Shiro, What Did You Eat Yesterday? Season 2

gif by @my-rose-tinted-glasses

Again not a strictly traditional “oh” moment, because Kenji and Shiro have been in a relationship for eight years at this point, they love each other, even if Shiro is not the kind of person to say it. But man, I just…nothing brought me to tears faster than Shiro’s “oh, he really loves me and I really love him” moment in Season 2 when Kenji runs out to get onions because he threw the old ones out and Shiro needed one to make dinner. The contrast we have had throughout the episode with the flashbacks to Shiro’s last relationship that was extremely one sided and cold, to the bright, colorful, warmth of the current day, with Kenji. I will never recover from the line “I think I’ll use two chicken breasts tonight” while Shiro stands there with tears in his eyes, overwhelmed at the realization that he truly loved and cared for. 

Bonus: Invisible Oh Moment

Uea in Bed Friend

gif by @ueasking

I want to talk about Uea’s “oh” moment in Bed Friend because I don’t think there is any clear “oh” moment. The boy doesn’t run, he doesn’t confess, but there are a couple of points that stood out to me as Uea shifting how he thinks of King, Episode 4 is really the point of change. There are a ton of little moments throughout the episode where you can really see Uea start to soften towards King. We have the first chip in the armor when King [tells Uea he doesn’t deserve to be treated that way after Pock’s assault in the garage], the second chip when King treats his bruises so gently, the third when King brings the birthday cake. You can tell the morning after that Uea is no longer thinking of King as a bed friend, and even more over you get this incredible moment in Episode 6 right after their sex scene where it is so disgustingly obvious that King wants to ask Uea to be his boyfriend and that Uea would say yes without a moment’s hesitation. And that is why I didn’t want to leave it out of the list. Because honestly, I have not seen many shows in 2023 that used sex better than Bed Friend. Every single sexual encounter we got out of KingUea was followed by a shift in their relationship, and in a space where kink is rarely used or used poorly, I think it was vitally important that the kinky sex is what solidified Uea’s feelings for King. 

Bonus Bonus: Uh Oh moment 

Teh in I Told Sunset About You

gif by @mickeysarmyguy

I go absolutely feral for moments where characters finally give in to a desire and then are able to just like, pull the leash back, clamp their feelings down, and walk away. I cannot overstate the level to which I was impacted by the final scene in Episode 3 of ITSAY where Teh is scratching Oh’s back and smelling him. I do not think I breathed through that scene because of how oppressive the tension was between them. But the second that Teh grabbed Oh’s pecs and realized there weren’t breasts there and he just locks all his feelings behind bars is just…I don’t even have words. 

[talistheintrovert]

the urge to compare Dangerous Romance to Bad Buddy is strong, because there ARE parallels, but I would argue that those parallels actually do a really good job of highlighting the differences.

On the surface, they're both enemies-to-friends-to-lovers stories, where one half is a loud, brash, emotionally illiterate idiot (who isn't as much of an idiot as he pretends to be) and the other half is a reserved, bitchy, intelligent person who starts pining first and keeps it to himself.

but that's about where the similarities end. Because Kang is not Pat. And I mean that both (affectionate) and (derogatory). Affectionately because Kang is his own person with his own characteristics, he's not just a copy of a different character. And Derogatorily because, well. Kang was a BULLY three episodes ago. Pat could be a dick, sure, Pat picked on Wai, absolutely, but Pat would never bully somebody below him. He picked on Wai because he figured it was fair game. Kang pretty much EXCLUSIVELY picked fights with people lower than him, people he thought as lesser. He exerted power over them. And just because he seems to have stopped doing that now doesn't mean that didn't happen, and it especially doesn't mean that Sailom has forgotten it. Because SAILOM WAS ONE OF HIS VICTIMS.

which brings me to my next point - Sailom is not Pran. Sailom isn't just a rival, he was BULLIED by Kang, and he might have forgiven him for that now that they're friends but he can't *forget it*. You see it in that scene where he flashes back to the bullying when Kang offers him a lift on the back of his bike. That power imbalance plays a large part in making their relationship speed up and then slow right back down in these last few episodes.

But that isn't the only thing holding Sailom back, it's also their complete economic disparity. Kang is wealthy and Sailom is poor and in danger of being hurt because of debts he shouldn't have to be responsible for and every episode goes through great pains to remind not just us but THEM of the massive gap between them. Sailom is hyperaware that he can't think of anything except earning money, he doesn't have the time or energy to waste on somebody who doesn't like him back, so you see him, over and over again, shutting down any feelings he might have for Kang. Unlike Pran, who lets himself pine because it's the only thing he CAN do. Pran doesn't think he has a chance with Pat but he's allowed to love him in private, so he does. He yearns and he cries and he resigns himself to that fate. But Sailom can't even do that. He won't let himself.

People keep saying that Chimon isn't selling their chemistry as much as Perth but honestly I think that's INTENTIONAL. Sailom can't have what he wants and he KNOWS this. He's ALWAYS known this, it's just the reality of his life, and it's obvious in the way he talks. Even when Kang asks him what career he wants, he says engineering, but only a full half-episode later does he reveal that that isn't really true. But it's true to him, it has to be, because it's his only option. So even if he likes Kang he has to tamp it down constantly to avoid falling into the trap of having hope that Kang could ever like him back. He's always making a conscious effort NOT to be too affectionate.

The only times you can see him wearing his emotions on his face are when Kang opens up about something and you can see Sailom forget himself and just sort of LOOK at him, all open and emotional, and then it disappears right after.

gif from this post by @moonjisung because it's too early to find it in the tag lol

Meanwhile Kang doesn't overthink anything like that. So he can be overly affectionate and gaze at Sailom lovingly and not even question it. Because he likes Pimfah!! he's just being goofy with a new guy friend!! it's normal!! he doesn't like Sailom, that would be ridiculous, it's totally normal to be lost in your platonic bro's eyes!! he's obtuse, blind to his own feelings, and that's kind of to his own advantage because he'll continue to flirt without worrying about it. He'll continue to get distracted by Sailom because he hasn't worked out WHY Sailom is so distracting yet.

But Sailom knows exactly how he feels and that's exactly WHY he's always pulling back and not lingering in those moments as much as Kang. It's not that he doesn't have the ability to flirt or the chemistry either - if you think back to the first couple of episodes, Sailom has this flirtatious confidence when he hates Kang that just oozes out of him in every confrontational scene they have.

but he can't have that confidence with something he *actually wants.*

[inventedfangirling]

pran-so-cool to pran-so-brave

We all talk about pran so cool to pran in love and yes of course everybody needs to talk about that growth all the time forever and ever cos really it gave us one of the most beautiful and respectful love stories of all time, but i also wanna take a teensy second to talk about how pran so brave too.

Jumping into a body of water to help a drowning person not easy. putting your thoughts and feelings into a song and then singing it out loud, not easy. Confronting years of lying and suppression and hurt, standing up to an overbearing parent is definitely not easy.

Dealing with insecurities, voicing those insecurities, working to overcome those insecurities not easy. confronting your feelings, taking a leap ready to get hurt if that happens, and then deciding to stick through one person no matter the hurdles also farthest from easy. Pran has done so many brave things over the course of his young life but right now i just wanted to focus on what he did in episode 10 in this scene.

Like seriously picture this, you're out with your boyfriend, grocery shopping have a wonderful time teasing and goofing off with each other and then bam, his bitch ass of a dad appears and see's you in a not entirely uncompromising situation.

And then without even thinking of where they are or how they are literally just kids, this man begins to get aggressive with them.

I can't even explain just how triggered this scene or just the gif of it even makes me...that said i need to talk about it because just can't get over the significance of what pran did here.

On paper he is just standing up to defend his boyfriend from an aggressive man but of course in reality he is actually putting himself between a fully grown adult man and his own adult son (who lets not forget is physically stronger than Pran). I need me and you and everybody to process the fact that Pran is at heart (and brain development wise) still very much a child. He is barely 20 and he is gay and he is in public with his boyfriend in a conservative country (i know there is no homophobia in the bb universe but still!)

And suddenly he is outed and then this aggressive loud man who is his boyfriend's dad and his family's sworn enemy comes and starts being aggressive with Pat with whom he has as far as Pran knows had a pretty smooth at least non violent relationship (that we know of) so then do we realize how incredible is it that Pran immediately put himself between Pat and Ming??? Not only is he physically no match for Ming. But in how society would view it, he really had no place there? and because there hasn't been a history of Ming being aggressive with Pat, Pran needn't have done what he did, since in his mind such a grim possibility is not looming large.

And yet the moment he saw that Pat was possibly in danger, that very instant he comes in front of Pat, trying to calm the situation down? I'm just...that's just....so so very brave of him?!! My brain truly cannot comprehend the inexplicable amount of love Pran must have towards Pat to exhibit that level of protectiveness without even taking a second to think of his own safety or anything against Pat's own father??? Pran who hasn't had the best most healthy relationship with his own parents was standing up for Pat against his father!

And then to be shoved aside like that to the side, in such a violent manner, being looked at with so much contempt, with all those people watching. And then going back home to stand up to his mother only to get shouted at and slapped??

And then years of distance and time and growth later, he comes back and he actually brings a gift for that very man who as far as we know didn't even apologise to Pran or Pat for what he did to them there. a man who for years had kept them away from each other, filling ideas of hate into their minds (with ample help from dissaya ofc) and disrespecting and demeaning both of them??

Pran really took all that hate that was directed at him and he returned it in the form of love, he did it for pat's sake, but he did it none the less.

He really embodied "i will be tender hearted despite despite despite" and he did it while he was growing professionally and personally.

I'm sorry but look at that smile???? only the vilest spawn of satan could hate him my heart is about to burst rn.

He fr took some of the sourest lemons life offered him and along with pat turned it into a lemonade so sweet even 20 rewatches can't wash the sweetness off of it and i genuinely can't help but marvel in awe. I seriously need to sit down and think about this for days weeks ever cos really it is just something else. Pran is just something else.

He shows us how we're more than our trauma, how our choices are what define us and that even if it's difficult we can make that journey, and that we can do it with love.

[dribs-and-drabbles]

Colours in Our Skyy 2 Bad Buddy ep 1

I was nervous in the run up to the Our Skyy 2 eps, not least to see what Aof and the team were going to do with our beloved characters and their stories, but also to see if the colours I had interpreted during the series stayed consistent.

And after two out of three (four?) episodes, I think they are.

In ep 1, right off the bat Pat's Blue and Pran's Red make an appearance...but the faculty jackets lend themselves to offering consistency here (the photo makes the blue look black but they are a dark blue).

But as soon as the action shifts to the auditorium, we can see Pat and Pran's world is full of blue and red. The red curtain is a big part of this but look at the array of random blue and red objects in the room...some of which also move into a different spot later.

Pat and Pran quite rightly (and as others have already pointed out) exchange their colours in the early part of the ep. I thought it was interesting that they didn't feel like they needed to hide their...friendship...to Ajan Pichai - the senior who Ming could quite easily hear about them from - not reacting at all to him seeing Pat's arm around Pran.

More blue and red pairings are seen in Pran's shirt and the ice pack (which I pointed out in my addition to @grapejuicegay's post that Pran is 'icing' the same shoulder that he hurt in BBS ep 1 when Pat had the bruised cheek even though Pran didn't get hurt this time round), in Ink and Pa's outfits (the pic is a bit blurry but I wanted to show Pa's red handbag - I really wish I could see what was written on her top), and in the Hightem meeting room. (Note also that Pa carries a tote bag which has orange and lime green - their colours).

Pops of blue and red also inhabit Ajan Pichai's office (the plaque, book, flowers, even the pens!) but I want to draw your attention to Pichai's shirt - a dark/olive green - a colour for 'bad' things (conflict, an obstacle to Pat and Pran's happiness etc) - and we see Pichai pit them against each other rather than choose between them to end the argument, thus causing them further problems.

Later, Pichai wears a lighter shirt...which could be labelled as light blue, grey, or a light mint...but regardless, he accepts the end to the auditorium dispute and unknowingly sets up an opportunity for Pat and Pran to have some couple-time alone up north. This is also when he sees Pat with his arm around Pran, so perhaps it also shows his silent support of their...friendship.

Back to the dark green and it's also on the tent in Pat and Pran's apartment, so it's no surprise that things go wrong for Pat when he comes back and thinks Wai is Pran. (Note also the orange...but I'll talk about that in ep 2's post 😏)

But on to yellow - the colour that seems to symbolise Pat and Pran's love and happiness - and I thought it was a nice touch to have Korn pick out the broom with the yellow handle and then be thankful for Pat and Pran and tell Wai he loved him. Yellow was also in the cushions that Pat and Pran (and Wai in the morning) laid on when they had their Soft™ lovely-dovey moment, and it was heartbreaking to see Pran had changed into a yellow t-shirt to go and find Pat before their second 'honeymoon' trip only for him to hear Pat exaggeratedly badmouthing him.

And finally brown - a colour that seems to represent sacrifice, submission, or yielding - and we see it first on Korn as he tricks Pat into drinking with them. Pat then yields to peer pressure and ends up staying longer and drinking much more than he originally planned. That choice ultimately meant he sacrificed his opportunity to go to Pha Pun Dao with Pran the next day. Pat, also already having to sacrifice an open relationship with Pran because of their family situation, is somewhat forced to speak bad of Pran to hide their relationship causing a conflict between him and Pran who overhears him from outside.

The next day, Pran sets off for Pha Pun Dao alone, wearing a brown jacket (and an orange t-shirt which I will also talk about in ep 2's post). He sacrifices the companionship of Pat in order to show he can do things without him (and is ultimately glad when Pat turns up even if he doesn't show it well) but also has to sacrifice his dignity in the process when he has to walk to the village after the jeep breaks down. And if it weren't for the fact that it was another expected and delicious parallel, the olive-green of the jeep was a clear give-away that Pran was about to suffer in this.

Lastly, I'll just mention Pat and Pran's backpacks - teal and mint green respectively - the colours which seemed to symbolise Pat and Pran's union as a couple (I couldn't think of a better way to put it 🤭). They were supposed to go on this trip together, to have a second 'honeymoon' where they could be together freely...but despite being apart, they're still carrying/keeping their unity with them. Note also that Pat is shrouded in yellow (on his socks as well!) when he's trying to show his love for Pran and return them to a happier place, albeit unsuccessfully.

[ep 1] [ep 2] [ep 3] [ep 4] (<- I'm being hopeful)

[respectthepetty]

Hi!!!

I haven’t even fully watched Last Twilight (I think I’m on episode 2 lol) but I’ve kept up with all the gifs and metas and let me say I am ANGRY at Day after the snippets I’ve gotten on tumblr about breaking up with Mhork. I hope they don’t get back together in episode 12 because let’s be real, that boy deserves better!!! I hope Day realizes his mistake but it’s too late because he hurt Mhork so deeply. Mhork literally gave Day his heart and soul and explained all of his raw trauma and then Day threw it on the ground and stomped on it just because of his own insecurities!!! I’m so angry I don’t think I’m going to enjoy actually watching the show because I’m just going to be glaring at Day the whole time. I hope Mhork goes to Hawaii and finds happiness and Day reflects on his life 😤

-MA

MA, I can't encourage you to finish it or not. That's not my style. But I know Aof deserves my watch. He has given me great show after great show and all have featured excellent queer stories. Not only has he written some of these shows, he has directed them as well as produced even more!

I respect Aof.

Which is why even though Only Friends is in Petty Prison and I hated it unlike others who greatly enjoyed it, I finished it because Jojo, much like Aof, has given me so many other great watching experiences like The Warp Effect and 3 Will Be Free. Because what is one bad moment in the grand scheme of Jojo's career or Aof's outstanding career?

And here is the other thing:

I hated Bad Buddy.

Which was also from Aof. I hated it while watching it when Pat was shot on Christmas Eve. I hated when it was done because of that "breakup" at the end of episode 11 and the continued ruse in episode 12 even though the audience had been in on all their shenanigans up until that point. I hated that it was paired with Aof's masterpiece A Tale of Thousand Stars in the Our Skyy installments just so I would have to see Pat and Pran keep pretending they weren't in a relationship even they were actively watching a queer couple breaking up. And I'll always hate it.

But the crowd loved it.

So . . . I believe the crowd is going to love the ending of Last Twilight too while I'm still chilling here six years from now mad about the ending of episode 11 since I'm petty.

I hold grudges and water them daily like plants in a garden. Be My Favorite forgave Knot even though he was awful every second of his screen time. *points hose in its direction* Teh stayed messing up in I Told Sunset About You then had the audacity to cheat in I Promised You the Moon. *blasts some water in its direction* Team needed therapy in Between Us not sex. *turns sprinkler on* HIStory 3: Make Our Days Count exists. *dumps a bucket of water on the ground*

Perhaps wait until the last episode has aired and check the tags. I assure you there will be plenty of people who love it. They will be singing the shows praises and how amazing the narrative was. People will be laughing about how we even questioned the genius of the show after this episode instead of trusting the process.

But as for me, hopefully Night and Phojai are getting married and the simple fact that I am rooting harder for the hets in a BL finale should tell y'all all you need to know about my petty ass.

Now excuse me as I need to go start digging a little hole for the newest addition in my Grudge Garden.

[telomeke-bbs]

Okay, not (quite) anonymous any more, but still not (that) active yet. With all the recent discussion of episode 5 and the rooftop scene, I think I've yet to see analysis of 5 [4/4] 9:06-9:13, from when Pran says "We're not even friends" to when Pat says "That's right." Of course, we didn't know it on first viewing, but based on what we learn later from episode 12 [4/4] 12:58-13:54, what Pran says must have hurt. And we see it in Pat/Ohm's reaction. I'd love to see that deconstructed.

Hi @pandasmagorica! 😍 Sorry this reply is so late; I was struggling with my post about OS2 x BBS x ATOTS and also some work deadlines.

With regard to the Ep.5 rooftop, I must agree with you that Pran's comment "We're not even friends" must really have stung for Pat.

By this point he'd been totally swept away in the rush of his new-found feelings that he also knew were returned. But Pran, contrarian as ever, was vehemently denying the existence of closeness to his face. And to deny that they were even friends when they had actually been so close and affectionate behind the scenes before must have felt like a gut punch to Pat, who was laying himself so bare and vulnerable here.

For almost all of Ep.5 we watched as Pat sank deeper and deeper into the disorientating realization that he had somehow fallen in love with his supposed rival. And he must have been pushed so close to the brink of despair by the swell of these anguished, bottled emotions that he couldn't wait even a second longer than necessary to confess it all to Pran (which of course is quite in character for our open-hearted boy).

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.5 [4/4] 1.18

This was why he waited up for Pran down at the base of their block, drunk as he was, so as not to miss his return. And when he was prevented – by Wai's presence – from expressing all that was churning within him, of course he couldn't contain that pressure and it all erupted into a brawl.

But Pat on the rooftop is now showered and clearheaded, and once again focused on his task of confessing all to Pran.

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.5 [4/4] 7.45

Unfortunately, as before, Pran is unaware of Pat's true feelings and is expecting their usual jostling, competitive dynamic to be the framework of their exchange. And so Pran continues to toss barbs at Pat, thinking he'll find some way to lob them back as he'd always done before.

And in a sense he does, but Pat's energy is different now. For him it's not a game anymore and the usual teasing impishness that we saw so much of in preceding episodes (and at the start of Ep.5 too) is gone.

This scene is also a callback to (and a parallel with) Ep.3 [4/4] 6.09 – in the corridor there, Pran had been so moved by Pat's generosity and help with the bus‑stop that he decided to dial back on the rivalry and was wanting to take things to the next level.

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.3 [4/4] 6.51

This was the motivation behind his seemingly off-the-cuff "Have you eaten?" at Ep.3 [4/4] 7.20 – he was wanting to interact with Pat socially instead of as a competitor (see this write-up linked here for more analysis). Before this, the only other time we'd seen them at a meal together was at the wonton noodle stall (Ep.3 [1I4] 6.20), and it only happened by accident (and Pat soon turned it into a chopstick battle anyway) so I like to think Pran was wanting a romantic do-over in Ep.3 [4/4] by asking Pat out for a meal.

But there in the corridor Pat only seemed to want more of their usual relationship dynamic (more gameplay), and he signaled this with another of his bait-and-switch moves, lulling Pran with the return of his guitar and then saying "I just like to see your face… when you lose."

Here on the rooftop the tables have turned. In the corridor of Ep.3 [4/4] Pran was left resigned with Pat's unchanging focus on their rivalry (and yet maybe still relieved that they could continue their relationship, even if it was based on competition). But on the rooftop it's now Pat – all ready to bare his soul – who is thwarted and exasperated by Pran instead.

During the fight scene we already saw Pat getting annoyed at Pran (who was operating in their default mode of pretending to be bitter enemies). And he retaliated with a refusal to play along, turning snarky when Pran said "Why? Is it so hard to accept defeat?" at Ep.5 [4/4] 2.41. Pat's snide response "Defeated by that lousy song. Why would I feel anything?" landed like a slap too (though Pran couldn't have felt it, unlike Pat and us viewers who knew the truth behind his sarcasm). Because of course Pat had his heart torn to shreds when he finally understood that the song Just Friend? was really about Pran's unrequited love for him, and was now speaking to his feelings for Pran in return.

So on the rooftop Pat – perhaps annoyed at having to delay the confessing of his own truths – calls out the double-sidedness of Pran's comment and laces his response with more sarcasm and layers of unspoken meaning. His skewed, sardonic smile when he says "That's right" is a mix of sadness and derision, a colloid of contrasts ironically just like the relationship that they've always known – a forced mix of enmity and friendship, a combination of two opposites that will never truly meld.

If we're being generous, it's possible to read that Pran intended his "We're not even friends" to mean something like they're not allowed to be friends in the fullest sense of the word, in front of society and the world at large, even though they were always friends behind the scenes. But what Pat does is to take the literal meaning of this and flip it on its head.

They're both aware that their illicit friendship exists, but it's a friendship that dare not speak its name because of outside disapprobation. Pat's answer in the affirmative also snorts cynically, not just at Pran's surface denial, but also at their pitiless circumstances that don't allow them ever to be seen in front of others as anything besides bitter rivals.

And this is why he goes on to list why others might think they're not friends – in spite of the fact that (for all intents and purposes, except for how their relationship is presented to the world) – they actually are:

"How can we be friends when our parents despise one another?"

"How can we be friends if we live next door to each other yet can't even talk?"

"How can we be friends if we have to compete against one another in everything?"

But just like his sarcastic "That's right" and the cynicism of his mirthless smile, his words here are rhetorical, and are meant to highlight the opposite of what they seem to be saying – because his list is only made up of obstacles to friendship, but not reasons for enmity.

Their parents' mutual hostility, the ban on communicating with the boy next door, the enforced competition – these were constraints imposed on their friendship, but in themselves are no foundation or justification for any kind of animosity between them. And early on, little Pat and Pran found ways to get around the barriers and become firm friends in all but name, because there was never any justifiable reason for them not to be so.

Pat is calling Pran out here; he's telling Pran that he's just repeating what they'd been told since childhood, but the two of them, despite having drifted apart after Pran was sent away – they know better. And he's also calling for an end to the verbal gameplaying, and for them to face their truths.

Because after each rhetorical question is the silent, unspoken answer that BOTH know to be true:

"How can we be friends when our parents despise one another?" "But we ARE friends…"

"How can we be friends if we live next door to each other yet can't even talk?" "But we found a way around it…"

"How can we be friends if we have to compete against one another in everything?" "The competition was never a barrier to us ACTUALLY becoming friends…"

He's using rhetoric and sarcasm to illustrate that they weren't allowed to be friends and they've been conditioned not to call themselves that – but it doesn't change the truth about their friendship.

And I think Pran hears him loud and clear – despite what the world's been telling them all their lives, they are close and they have been friends, which is why there's a discernible softening on Pran's part.

I think Ohm did a fantastic job in Ep.5, heaving onto his shoulders the weighty stone that was also BBS's glowing heart, when it was Nanon doing all the heavy emotional lifting in the first four episodes. You can see what Pat is going through – but just in case you want further insight regarding his inner turmoil, BBS actually lets us in on a little more info.

Pat's audition as Riam in Ep.7 [4/4] 5.26 was also a play-by-play repetition of the Ep.5 rooftop scene, but Pat/Riam verbalizes his feelings a bit more directly, and adds further dimension to our understanding of Pat's motivations while on the rooftop.

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.7 [4/4] 5.26

Using Riam's voice, what he says in Ep.7 [4/4] cuts out all of his previous rhetoric, and instead speaks plainly of his weariness with the gameplay and of his willingness to give it up (repudiating his playful corridor self of Ep.3 [4/4]):

"I’m tired. Tired of pretending to hate you while your face has taken over my heart. Aren’t you tired too?... Let’s stop it. I don’t want to play this game anymore. I don’t want to lie to people anymore. You asked if I still wanted us to be friends. What if my answer is no? What do you say?"

Part of why Ep.5's rooftop scene hits so hard is not just because Pran walking away embodies the loss of a romantic story that could have been. It hits also because we see just how far battle-weary Pat has come, on a rollercoaster journey of grappling with emotions (over the course of just one episode) that Pran had taken years to integrate as part of his reality.

The loss is all the greater because we see how much it cost them to get to this point. For Pat it meant dismantling his worldview and lifelong sense of self as Pran's rival in every respect – and yet he was willing to cast it all aside, after recognizing the truth underlying his closeness to Pran.

As BBS is also an allegory for the lives of queer people, all the rumination around "friends who are not friends" here (also calling out to Pat's favorite among all of Pran's personally-scented tees) parallels how closeted LGBTQ+ relationships are often not allowed to speak their truth to wider society.

But while the allegorical message may speak to us intellectually, I think it gets drowned out by the molten magma at the searing core of this scene on the rooftop, which communicates directly – deafeningly – with the heart. All intellectual preoccupations aside, it's also just two young, would-be lovers stumbling through a conversation where so much is unknown and so much has yet to be said, trying to find the truth of their relationship in the maze of all the semantics – which is what many of us who have had to navigate young love must have experienced at some point.

Some of us get beyond the maze and fall into the truth behind the words straightaway. Others, like Pat and Pran, will have to take a little longer to get there. But as they ultimately demonstrate, it's always worth the journey when your erstwhile "friend" (or "enemy") turns out to be your soulmate instead. 💖

[bengiyo]

Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars Ep 2 Stray Thoughts

Congratulations to Bad Buddy and A Tale of Thousand Stars for getting the longest name I think I’ve done since a Japanese show.

Yesterday, we finally got to see Pat and Pran again, and I didn’t realize how much I had missed them. We entered their lives between episodes 11 and 12 to see how they’re handling keeping their relationship secret. We had some funny hijinks, but a deep melancholy rose up within me about how much being in the closet actually hurts. Pran accidentally punched Pat in the face and Pat accidentally hurt Pran’s feelings because of this façade. Still, Pat and Pran have such a physically comfortable dynamic that you have no doubt that these two are enjoying a long-term physically intimate relationship. Also, Ink and Pa are clearly a power couple now.

As for the plot, Pran needs to get permission to put on a play from the owners of the personal story, so we’re now in a crossover with A Tale of Thousand Stars. Pran is dying from being outdoors, and is also worried about leaving Pat behind. Phupha has passed out, and Tian is about to stab Pran. Also, Pran and Tian look way too much alike, and this feels very intentional.

I do like that the school was unwilling to sign off on Pran’s play without permission from the owners of the story.

Tian and Phupha are fighting about whether Tian will stay in the village!! Call Celine! Call Whitney! We need to fix this!

I like that Mix is able to hold his jaw the saw way Tian does again.

Yes, children! Let chaos reign!!

Oh, Pran says he has OCD. It’s not surprising, but now it’s something explicit.

Excellent, the gays are bonding over taking care of the kids. I was worried Tian would be beefing with Pran for the next two episodes.

Really, just Ohm, Nanon, Mix, and Earth are just way too attractive. It’s legitimately distracting.

So Tian and Phupha have been together for years at this point, just like Pat and Pran.

Pran is like all of us, reading his gay little stories on his laptop. He’s fangirling hard over every detail about Tian.

Pat made it! These two instantly started flirting. Tian noticed right away.

The eye game at this dinner is incredible. The talent Aof gets to work with these days, I swear.

Instant tears as Phupha read their story with the OST playing in the background.

Losing it over Phupha and Tian arguing instantly about who fell for who first, and Phupha claiming misrepresentation.

I like seeing Pat and Pran wrestle/cuddle, but I hope they actually used the mosquito net.

On the real, though, there’s no way Pran can help Phupha and Tian reconcile while he’s creating distance with Pat.

Oh, I’m here for Pat pointing out that he and Pran also fought about who fell first. There’s some potential here.

This water looks legitimately cold. I don’t think Nanon is acting there.

Yes, boys. Let’s revisit their steps. Cosplay as the couple you just met.

I love Pat Jindapat so much. He’s so cheesy and so in love with Pran.

This man really said he wants to make this house shake! I love that these two have an active sex life.

Not Oishii getting in on the tea bag scene!

I love Kampung. Let this troublesome child meddle.

That’s right! Lie! We need to get these two gays in the same room!

Oh good. Only Nanon sang.

Now we’re getting cockblocked by letters. I’m into this conflict though. Phupha is rather rigid, and I can see him being afraid to appear before Tian’s parents.

Extremely excited about more Pat and Phupha interactions.

Yes, please let the troublesome child lead their drunk teacher up the mountain to recover a buried diary in the middle of the night.

“I think we’ve had enough, youngster.” I AM SCREAMING.

“I’m not your wife!” I am going to die.

Look at these gays saving each other.

A cliffhanger!! In Our Skyy??

I am having so much fun with this! I am feeling so much about the Tian conversation where he laments that Phupha never compromises or bends for him. I know that had to sit with Pran, who came here alone to prove he didn’t need Pat. Very excited about us getting a four-part BB x ATOTS story. I thought the crossover was going to be a lot smaller than this. Instead, we’re getting something really compelling out of both stories.

[7nessasaryevils]

hi! pls share your bad buddy critique(s) with me (if you're open to it)! I would love to hear 👀 (also, I know you said dm, but this is the closest I could get since we don't follow each other lmao. I figure you can answer privately though and avoid spoiling anything for anyone ✌️)

I do follow you!!!! Tumblr what is this nonsense?!!

Pfft okay, if people need to censor BBS spoilers, go do so! this show has been out for 3 years so there’s not much to freak out about now… but I be that person.

Anyhoo… my only critique against BBS was the handling of the Wai situation.

Wai did an entirely shitty thing and we never get a proper apology from him to Pran. We get some sort of redemption when he helps Pat but on the whole? There is no apology, no acknowledging that he did something as fucked up as outing two people to the university (yeah they were in the theatre with Architecture faculty kids but don’t even tell me that those students didn’t take pictures and post them) and when Pran does talk to him about it, Wai goes on the defensive and says that “oh he should accept the apology or else he’s the ass” which was so crazy to me??

And Pran being the person to apologize?!? WHAT THE FUCK. Pran should not have to apologize for keeping a secret that was rightfully his to keep. Yes, it is understandable that Wai was hurt. But guess what, dickhead! That thing you did? That is exactly what Pran was afraid of! And literally not a day ago in the bar, he says that he’s afraid of people finding out this secret because he’s not ready. And what did you do? You revealed his secret.

breathes out… so yeah, that’s my only critique.

[ranchthoughts]

thinking thoughts about Wai, Pa, and the themes of Bad Buddy

I think one of the things that really gets me about waipa is how perfectly it encapsulates the themes of Bad Buddy. I picked a couple of the main ones that stand out to me, because otherwise I would be rambling for far too long:

Photography

In her great meta on photography in Aof shows, @chickenstrangers points out the prevalence of photography/photographers all of Aof's shows and the themes of visibility and invisibility they explore. Characters like Pat and Pran, Pete and Kao, Heart and Li Ming, among others, are seen for who they truly are (and for the love they have for each other) through the lens of a camera wielded by someone they care for and trust.

We see this same theme in Wai and Pa - Wai offers to be Pa's model and she takes photos of him, and Pa sees Wai for who he really is (and Wai doesn't hesitate to show Pa his true self: the soft, smiley side of him). In fact, it's also during the scene where Pa takes Wai's photo that their feelings for each other become visible - they experience each of Pa's Patented Four Ways to tell if someone likes you (see @airenyah's beautiful edit here). Pa and Wai see each other clearly and become aware of their own feelings for the other all through a moment of photography.

Rivalries and Healing

The premise of Bad Buddy rests on the familial feud between Pran's family and Pat's family, which echoes the stories of Romeo and Juliet (from Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet) and Kwam and Riam (from the Thai book Plae Kao). Many people have written at length about these stories and how they have been woven into Bad Buddy (see @chickenstrangers excellent meta on tragedies and queer futurities, for example).

We see these same themes of rivalries tearing people apart in Wai and Pa's relationship too. Wai wants to pursue Pa but when he learns she is the little sister of Pat, Wai's enemy, he gives up on his dreams of a relationship with her because he knows Pat will never accept them as a couple. The rivalry between the architecture and the engineering students (which predates Wai and his friends) keeps Wai and Pa apart, just like the long-standing rivalries between Pat and Pran, Romeo and Juliet, and Kwam and Riam's families keep them apart. Wai and Pa's relationship is only possible if their friend groups can heal and move past their destructive rivalry.

Bittersweet Endings

I've written about the bittersweet ending of Bad Buddy (and another Aof show, He's Coming to Me) before. This is another theme Aof likes to explore: endings that are melancholic, that are not neatly solved, that feel more true to life than perhaps an easy happy ending would be. The family feud between Pat and Pran's families is not resolved at the end of Bad Buddy, just as the relationship between Wai and Pa is not resolved either. Some hurts are too large to get over quickly or completely.

Over the course of Bad Buddy, especially after Wai meets Pa in episode 7, Wai works to dispel his animosity with Pat and the others in the engineering squad (e.g., providing the proof that cleared Pat of his gun possession charges, welcoming Pat into the architecture fold, hanging out with Pat and Korn). However, despite all the changes he's made and the growth he has exhibited, by the end of the show Pa doesn't feel ready to accept his change of heart. Wai might have made some atonement for his actions but he was still so antagonistic to Pat and Pat's friends (and honestly, often not a good friend to Pran either, though I don't know how much of that Pa would have known). Pa needs some time to learn to trust the changes he's made, the work he's put in, before her head will let her heart love freely like it wants to.

We don't get the resolution we wanted during the show's run: Wai and Pa are not officially together. Aof is so good at leaning into those bittersweet endings - the family feud between Pat's dad and Pran's mom persists at the end of Bad Buddy though we see some improvements and softening, Wai and Pa are not together at the end of Bad Buddy despite the character development he's had, we don't know how long Med is going to be able to stick around in HCTM, Li Ming, Jim and Jam have made great strides in their relationships but there is still more healing to do, etc. @waitmyturtles writes here about the prevalence of suffering in Asian narratives and cautions against a Western instinct to "close loops" at the end of a show. She argues that Asian filmmakers do not feel the same pressure to resolve "emotionally questionable loose ends," which further reflects and deepens other themes like intergenerational trauma present in shows like Bad Buddy (also explored in this meta by @waitmyturtles). Intergenerational trauma is not quickly and easily solved but continues to resonate and complicate the lives of those coming after, like their parents' feud affects Pat and Pran or the enduring architecture and engineering faculties' feud at their university affects Wai and Pa.

I know Wai and Pa are a side couple and sometimes you don't get resolution with side couples or characters, but the open ended-ness of their relationship felt intentional, like purposefully representation of that recurring Aof and Asian theme of intergenerational trauma, of learning to heal, of the complexities of life.

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Kakeru and Yamato

Mitsuru and Koichi

Haruhiko and Rio

Ooo, I like these options!

Kakeru and Yamato

Kakeru and Yamato are fantastic, they love each other so deeply and it was really fun for me to watch them work through their feelings for each other as they progressed from friends to lovers. There are so many different structural set ups I love in romance stories. I love the freaks, I loved the fucked up people, I loved the contradictory characters, the happySads, etc. But something that I look for when I’m watching these shows is friendship. Sure these characters love each other, sure they want to fuck each other, but do they like each other? Do they have fun together? I think for me to really lean in to a relationship in a show, they have to sell me their connection either through their affection, their devotion, or both. Teh and Oh will almost certainly break up and get back together about four more times before things get sorted, but I believe there isn’t really anyone else for them. Their connection is magnetic. Pat and Pran have fun, they compete in everything, they wrestle, the goof off. Kakeru and Yamato were friends first. So while I am much more of a happy for now kind of person, I at the very least believe they will make it quite some time together because they like each other and they love each other. 

I appreciate greatly when a couple is able to communicate, and so while I wish they hadn’t gotten interrupted quite so many times throughout the show, I did enjoy the fact that they were constantly attempting to talk to one another openly and honestly about what was going on. I love Yamato backtracking when he thinks he’s made Kakeru uncomfortable, and Kakeru immediately telling him that isn’t the case. I love every iteration of the quiet, reserved boy whose emotions don’t usually cross his face gets some time alone with the loud, bubbly boy whose emotions can never quite be contained and their tension just starts melting away. I love seeing Yamato smile when he’s with Kakeru. 

Also shout out to these boys for one of the best kisses of the year. Thank you, Yamato for finally kissing your boyfriend, interruptions be damned. 

Mitsuru and Koichi

Perhaps the most important thing to me about Eternal Yesterday is how intensely it solidifies the love between Mitsuru and Koichi. Koichi always walked closest to the street, because he knew their walk was dangerous and he didn’t want Mitsuru to be the one to get hurt. Koichi died far too soon because he was protecting his boyfriend. And Koichi lived again because the love they had for each other brought them back. Koichi withheld his own peace, his own rest, to be there for Mitsuru until he could come to terms with Koichi’s death. Mitsuru loved Koichi so much, Koichi was able to take form once again, Mitsuru loved Koichi so much he almost willed him back to life. He loved Koichi back in to his body, he loved Koichi back in to warmth. Koichi was sunshine, and Koichi was tired, and Koichi was slowly fading from the memories of everyone else around him. But Mitsuru held on. Mitsuru held on for dear life. He held on so tightly for so long. And Koichi let him. Because Koichi knew how loved he was. Because Koichi loves Mitchan just as much. 

I know some people think the ending of Eternal Yesterday is tragic. But I don’t think it is. I think it is melancholy, but I also think it is beautiful. Five years later and Mitsuru has not gotten over Koichi’s death. And that’s okay. Because I do believe he’s made some sort of peace. Who knows if he will ever love someone as much as he loved Koichi ever again, but how beautiful for him to know for certain how much Koichi loved him in return. 

Haruhiko and Rio

At risk of you taking away all of my electronics until I can exert some modicum of self-control, I think I need to rewatch The Pornographer series. You’d think for a relationship that started out with as many lies and manipulations as it did, that they’d have a less healthy/mature relationship, but alas. I think they are genuinely good together, and I did really enjoy watching their relationship progress. I don’t know why the scene where Haruhiko finally catches on that he is re-writing Rio’s previously published novels stands out to me so much as The Scene between them. Maybe I think it is a really good indicator of their base personalities, and the way they will function together. Rio may be trying shit, but Haruhiko is studious, he does pay attention, and he will eventually catch on to the bullshit Rio is pulling and call him on it. 

Despite the fact that I do think Haruhiko and Rio work well and I’m happy where we leave things with this series.  I don’t think Haruhiko and Rio’s relationship stuck with me as much as Rio and Kido’s did, mostly cause we have so few shows that actually dedicate as much time and energy in to showing an old relationship that didn’t work as we do here. Usually we get a shitty ex, occasionally we get a lovers to friends scenario. Rarely, extremely rarely do we get an entire prequel series that explores an old relationship and provide so much rich context for who they are as people, how they got to where they are in life, and why a different relationship will work where theirs failed. 

And on top of that I think I am just so much more intrigued by Rio’s life and psyche as an individual than I am to his actual relationship with Haruhiko, though to be fair so much of that psyche does inform how they interact. Rio’s just a fucking freak who faked an arm injury so he could guilt trip a hot boy in to hanging out with him, and I had a lot of fun watching him try Haruhiko 2: Electric Boogaloo on another boy, since it seemed to work out so well the last time.

Send Me a Ship and I’ll Share My Thoughts

[paalove]

just reread nothing to lose and i am once again thinking about "pran doesn’t listen to his parents about much, right?" pran doesn't listen to his parents about much... pran doesn't listen to his parents about much... AHHHHH!!!

also thinking about how the week I finished bad buddy I was like PRAN ELLA ENCHANTED AU and just rotating this in my mind along with that concept. idk if you have read ella enchanted but as a possible prompt— a bad buddy, pran cursed with obedience! au

HEY. YOU SENT THIS MONTHS AGO AND I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT IT WEEKLY SINCE. 🥰

first: thank you ily, im glad you like that tiny little au it's one of my favourite pocket-universes <3

second: main fic coming in... hopefully the next couple of weeks? meanwhile here is a scattered little multi-pov intro to the fic i HAVE been calling "ella enpranted" xoxo

...

“Listen to me, Pran,” his mother says.

He does, because she’s his mother, and he does because he has to.

Concern etched into the lines of her face, deep deep worry and upset in her eyes, she orders him, “Stay away from that boy as much as you can,” and Pran will, because he has to.

As much as he can.

…

It’s hard to track him down this week – sometimes Pran gets skittish – but Pat finds him on Wednesday! It’s just been art, and Pat is taking the not-allowed-but-whatever shortcut that goes behind and around the weird little separate building that’s been used for art since they switched where all the languages rooms are, and there-

“Pran!” he calls, running over.

As he does, Pran’s head jerks up and he looks over and his eyes go wide, face startled, but he doesn’t look mad so Pat knows he’s only stashing his books away because he likes an escape route, he’s not mad at Pat.

So, Pat grabs the folder furthest from Pran and picks it up, flipping through and seeing a bunch of physics notes in Pran’s neat handwriting and smooth, black ink, because Pran never seems to have a pen go dry in the middle of writing anything, it’s all so even and careful.

Pran reaches out for it, then his hand freezes like an inch away from it and he says, “Pat, give that back.”

“No,” Pat says, but he’s smiling at Pran and Pran smiles back.

Shaking his head and turning – saying with his shoulders I’m not waiting for you and saying with the half smile but you can follow me if you want, I guess, it’s whatever – Pran says, “I need the folder back at some point.”

“I’ll give it back later,” Pat agrees.

Pran runs off when he doesn’t have something hostage, but he’s never mad about Pat taking his stuff. It’s just a game they play.

…

“Has someone told you to do something you don’t want to?”

She’s genuinely concerned, he knows that.

But she hasn’t ordered him to be honest, so he’s got enough leeway to not say you, Mae, it’s always you, because that would hurt her feelings and it wouldn’t change anything anyway, and Pran instead says, “The teacher assigned us both to be in the band,” and lets her remember all that trial and error, years ago, when they had to figure out how the orders worked.

Pran’s parents know that his too-powerful, too-flighty aunt’s gift was for them, so their orders normally take precedence over anyone else’s; they also know that their later orders take precedence over earlier ones, unless they specifically build something in, like telling him to disregard later ones that contradict the one they’re making right now. This pause is, he’s sure, letting his mother remember telling him to always consider teachers’ orders to outweigh all but a select few of her own.

Of course, most of what Pran’s figured out, he hasn’t told them.

Or even written down.

It’s safer to keep what he knows to himself.

His mother closes her eyes, nods, and says, “I suppose it couldn’t be avoided at that school.”

Pran wishes he had any way of stopping what comes next.

…

Dissaya’s son is honest, kind, and good.

Those are things she knows about him, things that she needs to protect and nourish and help to grow, and things that can’t be poisoned in him the way they were in her. She doesn’t like making him sad, dragging him away from his friends, but Pran is so vulnerable.

Moreso because of the gift.

It made her heart freeze in her chest the first time she saw him on the playground, some smaller child cheering him on, Higher! Higher, and the face of frozen fear on Pran’s face not even slightly getting in the way of how high he was swinging-

She still shudders to think of it.

Her sister-in-law was unrepentant when she called. Of course a gift of obedience doesn’t stop at the walls of their household, she’d laughed, but it’s always going to be stronger for family, isn’t that nice?

It’s not in her nature to yell, really, especially not at her husband’s beloved little sister, but she made an exception that day.

And then she had started to plan.

The idea that her careful planning and careful instructions to Pran haven’t been enough, haven’t kept him safe…

She’s never a coward except when it comes to Pran.

Dissaya sends him away.

…

It’s not written down, not anywhere, but Pran has a list of things he knows to be true about his gift.

His parents’ gift.

If his parents tell him, directly, to do something, he can’t help but do it. There’s no resisting directly, from the second he hears the order he begins to carry it out.

Physically impossible orders are an absolute exception – they arrive at Pran’s ears like normal, non-magical words, just the way a normal sentence works for anyone else on earth. He won’t try to fly if someone tells him to.

If anyone outside his family tells him directly to do something possible, it depends on what his parents have said first, but normally… he has to do it.

Pat telling him to race counts.

Pat whining at him to stop ignoring him also counts.

Pran has some leeway in deciding what counts.

In fact, Pran decides what an order means. He can know his parents meant one thing, but if the actual words they used mean something else… Pran can pick, kind of. Only kind of. He’s been experimenting with those limits for years.

The final part of it, the part that he’s known from the start and can never let himself forget or forgive, is the part that’s least useful and most essential.

8. It’s not a gift.

Because Pran has those old orders – keep yourself safe, don’t hurt others, and always prioritise teachers over other kids – and they make something like a shield, but one that it hurts to hold. The order to ignore other people’s orders no matter what never, never worked.

They must be physically impossible. Or something like that.

[inventedfangirling]

What goes on inside Pat's head in eps 6/7?

Or what happens when the brain rot takes over.

Alright so without further ado let me get into the fact that i can't believe this is the first time im seriously thinking about it but what the hell must have all been going through Pat's mind during that gap between their first kiss, their bet on the beach and even beyond that up to that post curry-feeding kiss after his dramatic re-entry as Riam?

What was all going through his head? We know he's confused and hurt and frustrated, but he also doesn't want to push too much, but he also wants to know what goes on in Pran's head real bad and then the resolution he gets is that Pran clearly seems to like him too, like a heck of a lot, and his extreme backtracking so far back they cant even have a conversation ironically goes to prove just how much Pran was going though and now they have a bet and on the other end there is a relationship....

....there is a relationship right?

We know pat is sure of his own feelings. He likes pran. He wants to be with Pran. He wholeheartedly wants to go all in. And while he knows Pran likes him back, he knows that pran isn't sure (at that point) if he wants to even go in, let alone ALL in. So then what must have been his mindset while being the goofy boy who was constantly on teasing mode?

What was behind that smiling exterior, because one thing that the usually confident Pat is insecure about is when it comes to Pran and especially given what happened after the kiss, he must have become at least a tiny bit more wary? (Not really though cos we know Pat is a simple straightforward guy, and he knows that nobody not even his Pran can kiss like THAT without feelings, a guy who goes for what he wants and often acts before he thinks but for the sake of my spiral lets pretend) So then behind that exterior what was his best case scenario? They start dating. But what was his worst case scenario cos for pran, we know he chose the worst (in terms of their relationship) way out cos that seemed like the only one until pat refused to leave without talking about it.

But Pat won't make that choice to cut off ties (why the heck would he) and now that Pran is ready for the bet, Pran wouldn't either right? But what if pran decides to call off the bet in between? He wouldn't but what if pat randomly has that thought...in some lonely/ insecure moment what if that is one of the horrifyingly depressing thought he has...what if pran likes him more than everything and even that isnt enough because he just can't bring himself to take that step somehow?

Where does that leave him? Did he even have a backup plan for what would happen if their bet didn't work out? If pran didn't come around? What was he gonna do? Were they going to ignore each other? Not talk anymore? Not play around any more? What if each time he comes to play, underneath all the mischief and fun what if there's that underlying fear of what if it's the last time?

What if it's the last time i'm in his room? What if it's the last time he offers to feed me curry? What if it's the last time I get to help him out with something? What if it's the last time he makes me dinner? What if it's the last time he comes close when i ask him to? What if it's the last time he traces hearts on my face? What if it's the last time i get to touch him? What if it's the last time he looks at me like that?

Are we even comprehending the level of angsty mess Pat could have been that whole time? But he wouldn't be the Pat we (think we) know and love. He loves and he loves loud and he isn't thinking too much beyond their competition and getting Pran comfortable enough to get into a relationship (i could write whole essays about the level of emotional intelligence Pat shows when it comes to Pran especially in episodes 6 & 7, thats not what this is about tho) BUT we all have bad days and negative doom spirals.. who is to say Pat didn't!

Of course it probably wasn't as bad or dramatic as i am making it sound like cos Pran does reciprocate and Pran is not at all attempting to hide (in the same way we see pre episode 6) his feelings for Pat or his investment in the bet but still as long as the bet was on, nothing was set in stone. And also let's not forget just how much it must have hurt when wai came to hand off Pran's guitar. Pran's guitar that Pat had saved and polished and kept safe for him. The one he ran after him, holding. The one he kept safe in his home. His one piece of Pran that he held onto those 3 long depressingly lonely years. And Pran just gave it away to Wai like that? Wai? WAI!??

Look at my poor baby sitting there all alone with his thoughts, his heart breaking little by little and even then staying silent just so that he won't create trouble for Pran. Who is gonna answer for all of that!??? huh?

* Ooh boy and here come those heart squeezes again I CANT DO THIS ARGHHHH *

And despite all that he kept a mostly cheery exterior, trying to keep it fun and light for pran as much as possible?!?

Not all undermining the fact that patpran did have a heck of a lot of fun during their bet era, several essays worth of fun and meanings to unpack but that's not the point of this post

Like i'm sorry but there is simply no better man (boyfriend). But also no cos 1. he's fictional duh, there is NO one like pat irl, he's just an impossible version of a man cos despite all his flaws he really did what he did and 2. its actually not healthy what he's doing is it? Repressing his anxieties and radiating joy, equally bad as repressing joy and radiating anxiety like pran was doing, but (argh to sweep it all under the rug the way i usually do unlike patpran who talk shit though and therefore ofc they ended up happy)...

Because of course despite their anxieties both of them knew they could trust in each other and in their feelings for each other, and yes they built that trust over the years but it also was especially given impetus during the bet era so the bet was eventually going to have only a happy outcome but human brains can be weird and can play tricks on you and i was just thinking of the possibility of a time when pat's brain may have tricked him into a whole spiral and what if the bet wasn't as fun for pat as i initially thought it was and now here we are.

[respectthepetty]

Since I decided the best way to make it through Our Skyy 2 with minimal damage is to drink my way through it, welcome to the seventh round of

CockTails in the Skyy!

This week's drink is TWO drinks because we have a crossover! I have The Colors Mean Things for the first day of Pride

and Sleigh What?:

Prosecco because all I hear is Jessie Ware's "Champagne Kisses" when I see Pat and Pran

coconut water for episode 11's cake by the ocean (sex on the beach)

mint for that refreshing Pran smell that Pat loves

Christmas glass because it feels like Christmas getting this crossover and never forget Pat was shot on Christmas Eve!

I rushed home to watch these because I already know too much about these episodes, yet still understand nothing at all. Let's get drunk, sluts!

Bottoms up!

This recap of the series is unnecessary since Tumblr people will not allow me to forget a second of this show.

Wai x Korn. We all wanted it, but I STILL want it.

Pat gave in too easily. Like at least make Pran state the reasons they deserve the space.

InkPha are disgusting, and I love it.

"Throwing a hot potato at me" - This is going in my phrase book.

I already stated it in a separate post, but the return of the COLORS is glorious!

Dog and Cat. One just wants to love and the other is annoyed by it.

Why would Korn be downloading porn? Do people still do that? Seems very old school when we can simply stream it at our convenience.

I don't like that Pran is smiling as porn is showing on the screen while his boyfriend is going up in flames, then telling Pat the porn wasn't the issue. My man, it was definitely the porn.

This discussion about being creative is for some of y'all who don't see that the colors mean things, and instead simply see a red shirt. Too logical.

A quick warning about intellectual property. I appreciate it.

With that tent, this could've been a Not Me crossover.

I don't know if he really said "honeymoon" or that was just the translation, but that shit was cute.

They all know Pat is still with Pran! I love that he doesn't have to lie to them.

What a dumb joke about only an elevator can take him down. I love Pat the most.

Wait, it might be the drink(s), but Korn said they had to mislead Pat to get him out of the house away from his boyfriend, but now they are all saying Pat and Pran aren't boyfriends. ¿Cómo?

Ouch. I'm not feeling this episode the way some of y'all are feeling it. This kinda hurts, y'all. It feels mean. And not just what Pat said, but also the way Pran overly reacts to it by leaving Pat behind.

Can you imagine the bachelor party if this was just a normal night with the guys?

Y'ALL! I'm upset. Pat wanted another honeymoon, but Pran left him behind. I know Pran has some blame here, but . . . I don't know.

About 4-5 hours, IF you don't get LOST! That's why we use the buddy system, Pran!

Pran is so lucky this is a kind BL because getting into a car in the middle of nowhere would end differently in another show.

Yod apologizing for things beyond his control is why he is a GOOD MAN!

Tian was young too! He just had a heart condition! Why do they keep trying to age EarthMix up so much?!

"Are you going to beat me with that?" YOD, I LOVE YOU!

THE REVEALS WERE PERFECT!

I already have the second drink on deck! ON TO A TALE OF THOUSAND STARS!

Phupha is down yet Tian is death staring Pran and asking "What business do you have with my man?"

"Drink some water!" - I feel every episode knows what shenanigans I'm up to and is directly speaking to me.

Pran's presence interrupted their fight, so now Tian death stares again but this time asking "What business do you have with me?" Tian is done with Pran before he even started.

Oh, shit! They are really fighting!

I LOVE THIS!!!!!! Tian is so pissed!

"Faen! Faen! Faen! Faen!" Tian is going to murder Pran, and let that serve as a reminder why we don't leave our buddy Pat behind!

"KAMPUNG!" - These are public education teacher problems front and center on full display.

Phupha won't see Tian's parents?! Homie, the dad hired you to follow his son around. You're already family!

The dialogue keeps delivering. Pat and Pran's "Hey, girl, hey" was so aggressive and filled with tension.

Tian clocks the gays, while Phupha is fully invested in the meal.

Earth and Mix serve FACE so well! Just pure rage brewing under there.

I don't want them fighting, but golly I sure do love it! "Did my dad tell you to sleep with me too?! NAH! Didn't think so!"

I like that Pat was only there for support and kept looking to Pran when shit was going down. That's a good boyfriend!

Yod throwing out all the business! "Sometimes Tian sleeps here, sometimes Tian sleeps there, and sometimes he threatens to never come back. Oh, and don't need anything from me. I ain't helping you."

This is now turning into an appreciation post for this script because it's fire! "Help me by SHUTTING UP!"

PAT, WHY ARE YOU SABOTAGING THIS, BABE?!

Ohm , I did not expect that body since you slimmed down! Force, Pond, Neo, and Ohm. Do y'all work out together?!

This argument is really the fans arguing about who fell first and who fell harder. Listen, all I care about is that they BOTH FELL AND CAN'T GET BACK UP!

Earth and Mix looked warm last time, but Mile and Apo had to freeze and so do Nanon and Ohm. These poor men and these freezing waterfalls.

Pat asking the questions that matter - "When did you see the Chief's body, Pran?!" Pat has his priorities straight.

It's 64 degrees, so Pat has the right idea. Physical activities help you stay warm.

Kampung is a hustler. I love little hustlers.

Pat called Pran his boyfriend in front of all these strangers!

Neung and Tian throwing themselves at Palm and Phupha, and admitting it keeps me hydrated.

"Set up the mosquito tent" is code for sexual activities. *pushes my glasses up on my nose*

Head empty. Just Phupha glaring at a smiling Pat. NOW KISS!

Drunk Tian is accurate. My friends feel the most empowered and want to go on long journeys to dangerous places when they have been drinking. Dumb, but accurate.

Phupha and Pat waking up together. YES!

Earth and his tattoos are my favorite I SPY adventure.

Oh, thank goodness, Tian and Pran didn't fall!

Phupha looks worried pissed and Pat looks worried scared. Phupha is gonna find Tian and yell, but Pat is gonna find Pran and cry. Hopefully this journey will teach ALL of them a lesson, and Pran says he is sorry and so does Phupha because the same boys (Tian and Pat) can't keep apologizing.

I can't properly rate this since it's not done, but I'm gonna be honest and admit that I don't care who gets to put on the play because I'm solely here for the Grinch and his husband, Phupha and Tian.

But so far, the drinks were great and the episodes were better.

See ya next week for the finale!

[justwannatalkaboutmyshows]

Also can we talk about how we’re led to believe the boys started getting close in high school, but the cans indicate they at least had reason to secretly talk much much sooner? Even if it wasn’t as friends?

It would be one thing if they just had cans on a string. It’s pretty common for kids to communicate that way. It’s the fact that the string is the perfect length to go between Pran’s window and Pat’s balcony. AND it flashes briefly back to a scene where they’re little and using them to talk.

Who knows, maybe lil Pat and Pran just used them to bicker, but I want to believe after Pran saved Pa the boys found more reasons to keep talking so they had the cans specifically for *them* to talk.

I think they always secretly wanted to be friends. It makes my heart hurt to think of them as kids being told to hate each other when they could’ve grown up side by side competing like brothers instead of enemies.

[charthanry]

OurSkyy2xBBS: My Initial Reaction to EP13

This will be full of spoilers, so please watch the episode first!

Ohm and Nanon seemlessly transitioned back into being Pat and Pran. Their chemistry was alive and thriving! 

The passage of time was well done. It felt like Pat and Pran continued on with their lives without us. These specials are just a peek into what they’ve been up to. Kudos to Ohm and Nanon for living these characters so believably. It felt like they were never gone.

The scenes felt a bit recycled from the series. I guess if it ain’t broke, why fix it? 

We got the fake fight with Pat ending up with a shiner and Pran there to nurse him back with some healing lovin’ instead of pharmacy bruise cream. Also, shout out to the curtain drop only this time much less dramatic and more comical. I loved the curtain-shadow misinterpretation by their dumbass friends, ha! Well played, BBS.

Pa’s uncanny skill at bad timing is hilarious and I love that Pran is the one who points it out. Pat’s not the only one getting thwarted here, though he consistently shows otherwise, Pran wants that loving from Pat too. It’s so in-character of them both.

Ohm’s high-pitched “Hia Pran” made me LOL, I had to replay it several times. Ohm really has awesome comedic timing. It’s more difficult to pull off than it looks and relies heavily on delivery.

They’re still competing with each other, but more so due to their environment than any hidden animosity between them. Just like in the OG series.

They consistently help each other and their open communication is still relationship goals. I love that this time it’s Pran that allows Pat to see things (e.g. the bench) in different ways. This calls back to their EP3 bus stop scene. I love how the communication and help goes both ways. Their’s is a true partnership. Neither taking more or giving less.

Pat still gives into Pran, but now it’s more thoughtful. It’s less about Pat winning or beating Pran at something and more about Pran’s success being Pat’s success. They are a team. When one is happy, they are both happy. Again, this shows maturity and relationship goals.

The livingroom tent camping called back to the end of EP4 only with happier results. Their conversation also calls back to the EP3′s bus stop scene where Pat asked Pran if he liked -it- and EP4′s “would you like me?” and now we get Pran’s answer: “I like you. You’re always there for me.” This might’ve been my FAVORITE call back of the episode.

Pat’s friends still gets Pat into shitty situations. The amount of times Pat got kiss-blocked in this episode alone can be its own drinking game. I love this running gag and feel like it’s leading up to a BIG PAYOFF.

Anyone catch Pat saying “you called me out for this” and Korn says “how else would I get you to leave your BOYFRIEND” right in front of Mo and Chang? Was that an NG because at this point Mo and Chang should still be in the dark about Pat and Pran, right?

Pran waiting up for Pat to come home from a night of drinking, did anyone else get EP5 vibes here? Where Pat sat in front of the dorm building waiting for Pran’s return? 

Pran calling Pat out on publicly shunning him while secretly apologizing was A+. There’s no repression of hurt feelings here. Open communication is the way of it. And I absolutely LOVE this for them.

Pat makes everything more fun. I imagine the trek up that hill would have been more entertaining for Pran if Pat were there teasing him and calling him an old man. They’d probably race to see who could get to the top first.

Unless it was mistranslated/subbed, they finally changed their caller IDs to each other’s names instead of “just a friend”. End of an era, sadly. But also, I wish it was more creative naming, like LOML or That 5-minute Guy or the one who FEEDS me, hell, I’d even settle for Dimples and Fierce Eyes.

Overall, the episode went by much too quickly. I wish we got a little bit more domestic Pat and Pran. I missed Pat’s scent kink except for the little mention of it in the elevator scene. I want to see them both waking up and getting ready in the morning as well as them turning in for the night. I want to see shared PJs (where Pran wears the top and Pat wears the bottom and nothing else). Them dividing the household chores where Pran comes up with an entire chart with a whole smiley-faced sticker reward system and Pat just stares at him lovingly like, that’s MY MAN with his charts. Going grocery shopping together where Pran has a checklist and Pat is throwing things willy-nilly into the cart. Making dinner together where they get distracted making out and dinner ends up ruined. I guess I’m greedy and want MORE.

I’m happy we got these specials. But I’m a greedy bitch and WON’T say I’m SATISFIED with what we were given (at least not yet). P’Aof has a special way of ending his episodes so my expectations are high, my hopes even higher, and I have zero doubts this team will stick the landing. They’ve been here before.

Also, I thought Ohm’s hair would bother me more than it did, but it grew on me. Ohm pulls it off. I’m a fan. Also, Ohm’s singing is so much improved, so proud of my guy for working on it because it shows.

Post-credit scene to beat the “Pran, it’s not a Porno!” in the works?! PLEASE. Have a feeling this is where we get Pat licking Pran’s finger from the promos.

[quodekash]

im back.

hell yeah flute man

pls my dads are so sweet, i cant deal

IVE CONTINUED FOR THREE MINUTES AND IM ALREADY ABOUT TO CRY AGAIN, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME

THE WAY THE BLANKET IS RUFFLED AT HIS NECK MAKES HIM LOOK LIKE A GRANNY OR SMTH I CANT STOP LAUGHING

IM CRYING

IM LAUGHING SO HARD IM CRYING

DID THEY REALLY JUST

OMG

IS HE STUMBLING BECAUSE THE GROUND THEY SLEPT ON IS HARD OR IS HE STUMBLING BECAUSE THEY GOT HARD

i guess what im trying to say is DID THEY REALLY JUST FU

YOU GUMNUTS YOU LOST THE KID

OF COURSE YOU FREAKING LOST THE KID

THE ONE TIME I GET EMOTIONALLY ATTACHED TO A CHILD, IT GETS LOST

THIS HAPPENED WITH JIGSAW AS WELL

what is it with our skyy 2 and introducing me to small children that i get emotionally attached to anD THEN RIPPING THEM AWAY FROM ME

he'll be fine tho, im sure of it. he knows what hes doing. and even if he doesnt, he's got two dads and two uncles to look after him, theyll find him and rescue him in the most overly dramatic way possible

my bet tho: he's just gone back to the village and he's completely safe and yod's trying to radio them to let them know hes safe but their radio isnt working, so he's gonna go into the forest to look for them while the four dudes wander around the forest to find the kid, and then theyll all run into each other and be like "welp we panicked for nothing" and then go back to the village and then theyll kiss their boyfriends and longtae will appear with his 184cm tall boyfriend and theyll all party and celebrate

(that last part is a mere wish, i know my boy doesnt show up at all and im sad about it)

OHHHH I FORGOT ABOUT THAT

its totally fine then, theyll find him and he'll be safe and sound

oh look at that, they did a custody switch

i think the real thing we should be saying here is: it's already evening and your legs are STILL hurting?

YOU GUMNUTS, DONT GO LOOKING AS WELL

THEYRE GONNA FIND THE KID AND COME BACK AND FIND YOU GUYS MISSING

AND THE CYCLE WILL NEVER END

HOLY FREAKING HELL YOU IDIOTS

bro is just chilling

i love this kid so much

he's saying this terrifying thing about how a wild animal nearly killed him so he climbed a tree and got stuck in it all night, and he's just so chill about it

i just love him so much

well how the hell are you gonna communicate that with your boyfriends

REMINDER: PRAN AND TIAN HAVE NOW SPENT THREE DAYS IN THIS FOREST

WHAT THE HELL ARE THE VILLAGERS THINKING??

THEY DONT HAVE THEIR HEAD CHIEF FOREST GUY BECAUSE HES BEEN IN THIS FOREST FOR TWO DAYS

also: surely patpran are getting close to their one week quota, right? they had one week to get the thing signed, ive forgotten how long they were already there for, but theyve been in a forest for three days so like idk man

YOU GUMNUTS

SURELY YOU KNOW YOUR BOYFRIENDS WELL ENOUGH TO KNOW THEYRE IDIOTS WHO WILL TRY TO COME FIND YOU WHEN YOU DONT COME BACK

they all probably smell. theyve been wearing those clothes for days in a forest

and pat probably still thinks he can find pran based on his scent, bless his silly idiotic heart

TIAN HASNT HAD HIS FREAKING HEART MEDICATION IN FREAKING DAYS

THE MAN'S GONNA DIE

P'AUUUUU

LMAOOOOOO CALLED OUTTTT

omg bonding

"why do i feel like you're just insecure and not sure if you're good enough to tell anyone that story?" awh

"you know nothing" "why wouldnt i know? i know how it feels to be insecure, unsure if im good enough" wait hang on

NO

HONEYBUN

NO WAY

HONEY YOU'VE BOTH MADE SO MANY SACRIFICES FOR EACH OTHER TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY

i wanna hug him so bad

FREAKING FINALLY

MAN NEEDS HIS MEDICATION

ID RATHER MY DAD DIDNT DIE TODAY

GJWEKBRSVD

THATS IT

IM DONE

I CANT DO THIS ANYMORE

IM NOT EVEN SLIGHTLY OKAY RIGHT NOW

ITS THE WATCH

i know he has it just because pran dropped it in the forest and pat picked it up, but its still the same watch that pat picked up for pran when they were children, all those freaking years ago

i just think its a lovely parallel

i love them so much

hsdshgjsdhjgsd

SEE?? you help each other out, you both sacrifice for one another, YOU ARE IN LOVE AND YOU MIGHT NOT BE PERFECT BUT YOU'RE THE DAMN BEST AND GVERYJDHFGB

BITCHES BE CRYING RN

ITS ME

IM BITCHES

SOBBING MY EYES OUT

COMFORTING DAD PATS (pats like the action of patting, not multiple of the character whose shoulder is being patted. words are hard)

I LOVE THEM SO MUCH

HSDFHSDFHSDHG

THEY MEAN PROBABLY TOO MUCH TO ME

ALSO PRAN DEFINITELY SMELLS WORSE THAN PAT FOR ONCE, HE HASNT SHOWERED IN DAYS

ANYWAY, HUGS

I LOVE HUGS SO MUCH

SAME

HE IS ME

I LOVE YOD SO MUCH

shoot i ran out of images

just fyi: it took over two hours for me to get from halfway through 2/4 to halfway through 4/4. and i still have a whole episode left go to. this may take like a week to finish